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LifeSatisfactionAttachmentStylesandPsychologicalResilienceinUniversityStudent.pdf

274 Dusunen Adam The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, Volume 31, Number 3, September 2018

Dusunen Adam The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences 2018;31:274-283 Research / Araştırma DOI: 10.5350/DAJPN2018310305

The Relationship Between

Life Satisfaction,

Attachment Styles, and

Psychological Resilience in

University Students

Zahide Tepeli Temiz1 , Itir Tari Comert1

1Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University, Department of Psychology, Istanbul - Turkey

ABSTRACT The relationship between life satisfaction, attachment styles, and psychological resilience in university students Objective: The main aim of the current research is to investigate the relationship of attachment styles to life satisfaction and psychological resilience of university students. Another aim of the present study is to see whether life satisfaction scores differ by the subjects’ level of psychological resilience. Method: The current work is a descriptive study using the relational screaning model. The study sample consisted of 425 university students, 302 of whom (71.1%) were female and the remaining 123 (29.9%) male. Convenience sampling was used in selecting the sample. The sample group was composed of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students. Data was collected through Experiences in Close Relationships Scale II (ECRS-II) for attachment styles, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SCLS) for life satisfaction, and the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) for psychological resilience. Results: Research findings concerning attachment styles of university students indicated that 49.4% of the sample displayed an avoidant and 48.9% an anxious attachment pattern. Individuals taking a score below the median in both anxious and avoidant dimensions of attachment, which constituted 31.7% of the study population, were defined as being securely attached. Study findings showed that the anxiety and avoidance sub-dimensions of attachment negatively predicted the total score of satisfaction with life. An increase in anxious and avoidant attachment scores was associated with lower levels of life satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the anxious and avoidant attachment styles did not predict psychological resilience. In addition, satisfaction with life scores of university students varied according to levels of psychological resilience. Individuals who had a high level of psychological resilience were found to have increased satisfaction with life compared to those who had a low level of psychological resilience. Discussion: There are many studies indicating attachment styles to be the main determinant of subjective well-being. Study findings show that secure attachment affects satisfaction with life, which is one of the elements of subjective well- being and positive development. It is seen that the ability of university students to adapt to stressful and difficult conditions and to cope with unfavorable situations is associated with their satisfaction with life. Thus, psychotherapeutic interventions focused on improvement of attachment relations and enhancement of psychological resilience may increase the overall satisfaction with life. Keywords: Attachment styles, life satisfaction, psychological resilience, subjective well-being

ÖZ Üniversite öğrencilerinin yaşam doyumları, bağlanma stilleri ve psikolojik dayanıklılıklarının birbirleriyle olan ilişkisinin incelenmesi Amaç: Bu çalışmanın birinci amacı üniversite öğrencilerinin bağlanma stilleri ile yaşam doyumu ve psikolojik dayanıklılık düzeyleri arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektir. Çalışmanın bir diğer amacı ise psikolojik dayanıklılık düzeylerine göre üniversite öğrencilerinin yaşamdan aldıkları doyumun farklılaşıp farklılaşmadığını görmektir. Yöntem: Bu çalışma ilişkisel tarama yöntemi ile yapılmış betimleyici bir çalışmadır. Çalışmaya 425 üniversite öğrencisi katılmıştır. Örneklem seçiminde kolay ulaşılabilir örnekleme yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Örneklem grubu lisans, yüksek lisans ve doktora düzeyinde öğrenim görmekte olan üniversite öğrencilerinden oluşmaktadır. Araştırmaya 302 (%71.1) kadın, 123 (%28.9) erkek öğrenci katılmıştır. Üniversite öğrencilerinin bağlanma örüntüleri Yakın İlişkilerde Yaşantılar Envanteri II (YİYE-II), yaşam doyumu Yaşam Doyumu Ölçeği (YDÖ), psikolojik dayanıklılığı Yetişkinler İçin Dayanıklılık Ölçeği (YİDÖ) kullanılarak ölçülmüştür. Bulgular: Örneklem grubunun bağlanma stillerini belirlemeye yönelik yapılan analizler sonucunda, katılımcıların %49.4’ünün kaçınmacı, %48.9’unun kaygılı bağlanma örüntüsü sergiledikleri görülmektedir. Her iki bağlanma boyutunda medyanın altında puan alanlar güvenli bağlanma örüntüsü ile tanımlanmakta ve örneklemin %31.7’sini oluşturmaktadır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre güvensiz bağlanmanın kaygı ve kaçınma alt boyutları yaşam doyumu puanlarını negatif yönde yordamaktadır. Bireylerin kaygılı ve kaçınmacı bağlanma puanları arttıkça yaşam doyumu düzeyleri düşmektedir. Çoklu regresyon analizi sonuçları kaygılı ve kaçınmacı bağlanma stillerinin psikolojik dayanıklılığı yordamadığını göstermektedir. Ayrıca üniversite öğrencilerinin psikolojik dayanıklılık düzeyine göre yaşamdan aldıkları doyum farklılaşmaktadır. Psikolojik dayanıklılığı yüksek olan kişilerin yaşam doyumu puanları, dayanıklılığı düşük olan gruba göre anlamlı ölçüde yüksek bulunmuştur. Tartışma: Bağlanma ilişkilerinin, öznel iyi oluşun temel belirleyicisi olduğunu gösteren pek çok çalışma bulunmaktadır. Araştırmadan elde edilen bulgular güvenli bağlanmanın, pozitif gelişimin ve öznel iyi oluşun bileşenlerinden biri olan yaşam doyumunu etkilediğini göstermektedir. Üniversite öğrencilerinin stres ve zorlu durumlara uyum gösterme ve negatif durumlarla başa çıkma yetisinin, yaşamdan aldıkları doyumla ilişkili olduğu görülmektedir. Bağlanma ilişkilerini geliştirmeye ve psikolojik dayanıklılığı artırmaya yönelik psikoterapötik girişimlerin genel yaşam doyumunu artıracağı düşünülmektedir. Anahtar kelimeler: Bağlanma stilleri, yaşam doyumu, psikolojik dayanıklılık, öznel iyi oluş

How to cite this article: Tepeli-Temiz Z, Tari- Comert I. The relationship between life satisfaction, attachment styles, and psychological resilience in university students. Dusunen Adam The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences 2018;31:274- 283. https://doi.org/10.5350/DAJPN2018310305

Address reprint requests to / Yazışma adresi: Zahide Tepeli Temiz, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University, Department of Psychology, Istanbul, Turkey

Phone / Telefon: +90-212-521-8100/6028

E-mail address / Elektronik posta adresi: [email protected]

Date of receipt / Geliş tarihi: December 22, 2017 / 22 Aralık 2017

Date of the first revision letter / İlk düzeltme öneri tarihi: January 30, 2018 / 30 Ocak 2018

Date of acceptance / Kabul tarihi: March 13, 2018 / 13 Mart 2018

Tepeli-Temiz Z, Tari-Comert I

275Dusunen Adam The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, Volume 31, Number 3, September 2018

INTRODUCTION

The interaction with the primary caregiver (mostly the mother) in the first years of life is thought to have a relatively critical impact on peoples’ lives. Attachment theory examines the relationship between infant and primary caregiver and explains the development of personality on the basis of this relationship (1,2). Attachment is defined in the broadest sense as ‘emotional bond developed to a special person’ (1-3). The need for emotional bonding is highly functional for the survival and developmental course of the newborn (4-7). The emotional bond established with the primary caregiver also serves as a “secure base” that allows for the child to explore the surroundings (3,8,9). The attachment pattern based on the emotional interaction between the mother and the infant during early childhood maintains its impact also in adulthood (10), affecting the individual’s mental health and behaviors. Not least thanks to the effects of positive psychology, psychological research is increasingly focusing on the importance of life satisfaction (11). Life satisfaction is a component of subjective well-being (12) and a positive indicator of mental health (13). Experimental studies emphasize the protective mechanism of life satisfaction against negative effects of stress and the development of psychological disorders (14). Moreover, while high levels of life satisfaction are associated with happiness and good living conditions (15), low levels of life satisfaction are associated with depression and unhappiness (11). Substantial evidence suggests that attachment styles are the key determinants of subjective well-being (16). It is seen that individuals with secure attachments have high self-esteem with both increased academic achievements and life satisfaction (17). Studies show that attachment has a direct impact on life satisfaction (17-19). Psychological resilience is defined in the most general sense as the ability to adapt to stressful and difficult conditions. Psychological resilience, also conceptualized as ‘stress-resistant attitude’, represents the ability to cope with unfavorable

situations (20,21). The theories explaining psychological resilience based on the developmental process actually take into consideration the relationship established by the child with the primary caregiver. Therefore, psychological resilience is based on the child’s early attachment relationships (21,22). While attachment theorists assume that secure attachment enhances psychological resilience (23,24), only a limited number of studies have examined the relationship between attachment and resilience (25). Several studies reported that psychological resilience was also associated with a high level of life satisfaction (26). This study primarily aimed to examine the relationship of attachment styles (anxious and ambivalent) of university students to their life satisfaction and psychological resilience levels. Another aim of the study was to see whether the life satisfaction of university students differs according to psychological resilience levels. Finally, the study also aimed to examine the distribution of attachment dimensions among university students.

METHOD

The study population consists of university students enrolled in various faculties at state and private universities of Turkey in the academic year 2016-2017. Convenience sampling was used in selecting the sample. For this purpose, classes were chosen randomly in the psychology department of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation University. Responses to the measurement tools were obtained on a voluntary basis. At Bogazici University, two courses that were mandatory for all departments such as History or Turkish were randomly selected and student volunteers completed the scales. The scale items were a l s o p r e p a r e d i n o n l i n e f o r m a t t o i m p r o v e generalizability of the study. Online questionnaires were distributed among university students via Google Docs; in this way, student volunteers participated in the study. Out of 425 participating students, 71.1% were female and 28.9% were male. The age range in the sample including undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students was between 18 and 39 years (Mean=22:50, SD=3.26). While the majority of

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276 Dusunen Adam The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, Volume 31, Number 3, September 2018

students (70.8%) were studying at private universities, 28.5% were studying at state universities and 0.7% at other (unidentified) universities. Distribution of the study population by faculties showed that 65.9% were from a faculty of science and letters, 9.6% from an engineering faculty, 7.5% from a faculty of economics and administrative sciences, 4.5% from a faculty of education, 2.4% from a faculty of health sciences, 1.6% from a theological faculty, 1.2% from a faculty of law, 0.9% from a faculty of communication, and 6.1% from other faculties. Most of the study population (86.4%) consisted of undergraduate students, whereas 10.1% and 3.5% of students were enrolled in master’s and Ph.D. programs, respectively.

Measures

This study was approved by the ethics committee of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation University. The measurement tools used in the current study were administered individually to the students at Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University and Bogazici University. In addition, students at other universities were reached via Google Docs, where those who agreed to participate voluntarily filled in online surveys. Confidentiality was observed during administration and informed consent was obtained from all students participating in the study. It took approximately 15-20 minutes for the student participants to complete the questionnaire.

D e m o g r a p h i c I n f o r m a t i o n F o r m : T h e demographic information form prepared by the researcher according to the purpose of the study is composed of 16 questions about participants’ gender, age, marital status, university and department where they studied, financial status, the environments where they mostly live in, birth order, academic achievement, educational status of their parents, relationships with their friends, and perceived peer influence.

Experiences in Close Relationships Scale II (ECRS-II): In this study, ECRS-II was utilized, which is commonly used for determining attachment styles in adults and has a high measurement sensitivity.

Developed by Fraley et al. (27) in 2000, ECRS-II was prepared as a 7-point Likert-type scale. It consists of 36 items, measuring two subscales: anxiety about attachment (18 items) and avoidance of attachment (18 items). The odd-numbered items measure the anxiety dimension and the even-numbered items the avoidance dimension. Two different total scores are obtained from the scale, varying between 18 and 126 for each sub-dimension. An increase in the scores of the subscales indicates an increase of anxiety or avoidance of attachment, respectively (27). The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was performed by Selcuk et al. (28) Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was found to be 0.90 for the avoidance dimension and 0.86 for the anxiety dimension. It was also reported that ECRS-II had a high test-retest reliability, which was 0.81 for the avoidance dimension and 0.82 for the anxiety dimension. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were detected as 0.88 for both anxious attachment and avoidant attachment in this study.

The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS): SWLS was developed by Diener et al. (15) in 1985. The scale, which aims to measure general life satisfaction, consists of five items and each item is answered according to a rating system of seven. An increase in the scores of the scale indicates that general life satisfaction is increasing. The Turkish adaptation of the scale was performed by Koker (29). The item-test correlations of the Turkish form of the scale vary between 0.71 and 0.80. The test- retest coefficient was found to be 0.85 (29). Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale was detected to be 0.83 in this study.

Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA): RSA was developed in 2003 by Friborg et al. (30). The scale consists of five sub-dimensions. These dimensions are: (1) personal strength; (2) structured style; (3) social competence; (4) family cohesion; and (5) social resources. In a study by Friborg et al. (30) in 2005, the personal strength sub-dimension was further divided into two sub-dimensions, ‘perception of self’ and ‘perception of future’, eliciting a six-factor structure.

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The Turkish adaptation of the scale was performed by Basim and Cetin (31). The total Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the original scale is 0.86. Internal consistency coefficients for the sub-dimensions of the scale range from 0.66 to 0.81. Test-retest reliability values range from 0.68 to 0.81. The reliability of the scale was determined as 0.81. The scale has a six-factor structure that overlaps with the original scale (31). The internal consistency coefficient was found to be 0.89 in the current study. Internal consistency coefficients of the subscales were calculated between 0.59 and 0.78.

Statistical Analysis

SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windows) Version 21.0 was used for the statistical analysis of the data obtained from the data collection tools. Student’s t test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to see whether demographic variables differed with respect to anxiety and avoidance dimensions, satisfaction with life, and psychological resilience. In addition, one-way ANOVA was used to assess the differentiation in the life satisfaction scores according psychological resilience levels. Chi-square test and correlation and multiple regression analyzes were performed to assess the relationship of independent variables (anxious-avoidant attachment) with dependent variables (satisfaction with life, psychological resilience, alexithymia). It was examined whether the assumptions of multiple regression analysis were met, and the data were found to exhibit normal distribution. Since the correlation coefficients

between the predictor variables ranged from 0.372 to 0.374, it was determined that there was no multi- collinearity problem. Multi-collinearity was also examined in terms of variance inflation factors (VIF<10), tolerance value (Tolerance>0.20), and condition index (CI<30). Residual values were studies with Mahalonobis distances and a multivariable normality was assumed.

RESULTS

P a r t i c i p a n t s ’ a g e s r a n g e d f r o m 1 8 t o 3 9 (Mean=22.50 SD=3.26). The university students participating in the study were asked about the education levels of their parents. While 38.4% (n=163) of the mothers were primary school graduates, 39.3% (n=167) of the fathers were university graduates. Table 1 shows the descriptive statistics of the study population in terms of scores obtained from different scales. ECRS-II has two dimensions (anxiety and avoidance), whereas RSA has six sub-dimensions. Descriptive statistics expressing means and standard deviation values of sub-dimensions are provided in Table 1. Anxiety and avoidance sub-dimensions of ECRS- II, which is applied for measuring participants’ attachment styles, were divided into two groups b a s e d o n t h e i r m e d i a n s c o r e s . F o r a n x i o u s attachment, those having a score of below 64.00 were categorized as non-anxiously attached while those above 64.00 were classed as anxiously attached. For avoidant attachment, those having a score of

Table 1: Descriptive statistics of the studied scales (n=450)

Variables Maximum value Minimum value Mean SD

Attachment:

Anxious 120 25 65.40 17.59

Avoidant 116 18 56.52 17.78

Life satisfaction 35 5 23.64 6.27

Psychological resilience 123 57 98.54 6.56

Perception of self 25 10 17.73 2.15

Perception of future 19 6 11.81 1.76

Structured style 20 4 11.31 2.30

Social competence 24 8 17.48 2.33

Family cohesion 28 10 17.70 2.80

Social resources 30 11 22.48 2.40

SD: Standart deviation

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278 Dusunen Adam The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, Volume 31, Number 3, September 2018

below 56.00 were defined as having a non-avoidant attachment pattern whereas those above 56.00 were defined as having an avoidant attachment pattern. According to these criteria, the analysis showed that 49.4% of participants (n=210) had an avoidant attachment pattern and 48.9% (n=208) an anxious attachment pattern. Subjects who had low scores from both anxious and avoidant attachment dimensions were labeled with a secure attachment pattern (n=135). The mean score for psychological resilience of securely attached individuals was 99.23 with a standard deviation of 0.52. The satisfaction with life scores of securely attached participants had a mean value of 25.49 with a standard deviation of 0.50. Participants’ scores for psychological resilience and satisfaction with life were divided into two groups based on their median scores. Chi-square independence test, which was performed to determine whether there was an association between avoidant attachment patterns and level of psychological r e s i l i e n c e ( l o w - h i g h ) , s h o w e d n o s i g n i f i c a n t association between avoidant attachment and r e s i l i e n c e (χ 2 = 1 . 8 5 8 , p > 0 . 0 5 ) . C h i - s q u a r e independence test, performed to determine whether there was an association between anxious attachment patterns and level of psychological resilience, also

revealed no significant association between anxious attachment and resilience (χ2=1.001, p>0.05). Chi-square independence test showed a significant relationship between avoidant attachment patterns and level of satisfaction with life (low-high) among university students (χ2=18.737, p<0.001) and also demonstrated a significant association between anxious attachment and satisfaction with life (χ2=14.785, p<0.001). Pearson correlation analysis was performed to determine whether there was a linear relationship between dependent and independent variables. The findings showed that sex, perceived academic achievement, the ECRS avoidance sub-dimension, and satisfaction with life were associated with each other (p<0.05). Order of birth was found to be positively correlated with academic achievement (p=0.007, p<0.05). Financial status, the place where they had spent most of their lives (p=0.016, p<0.05), parents’ education level (p<0.001, p<0.001), and relationships with friends (p=0.001, p<0.01) were positively associated with life satisfaction (p<0.001, p<0.01) and negatively associated with psychological resilience (p=0.006, p<0.01). As the economic level increases, people are more likely to live in urban centers and big cities. The universities (state or foundation) of the students were associated with their satisfaction with

Table 2: One-way variance analysis of life satisfaction levels by some variables

Independent variables Sum of squares Degrees of freedom Mean of squares F P

Academic achievement

Intergroup 519.977 2 259.988 6.786 <0.01

Intragroup 16090.539 420 38.311

Perceived economic level

Intergroup 2260.000 2 1130.000 33.072 <0.001

Intragroup 14350.515 420 34.168

Resilience-Perception of future

Intergroup 602.064 1 602.064 16.123 <0.001

Intragroup 15646.226 419 37.342

Friendship relations

Intergroup 1227.454 13 94.420 2.510 <0.01

Intragroup 15383.061 409 37.611

Education level

Intergroup 324.572 2 162.286 4.185 <0.05

Intragroup 16285.943 420 38.776

Psychological resilience

Intergroup 378.459 2 189.229 4.896 <0.01

Intragroup 16232.057 420 38.648

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279Dusunen Adam The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, Volume 31, Number 3, September 2018

life at a level of p=0.040, p<0.05, with psychological resilience at a level of p=0.028, p<0.05 and with attachment-avoidance sub-dimension scores at a level of p=0.007, p<0.05. While there was a significant positive correlation of relationship with friends with satisfaction with life, it was negatively associated with the anxiety-avoidance dimensions of attachment. As the number of close friends of the people increases, satisfaction with life rises and insecure attachment levels decrease. There was no significant relationship between sex and psychological resilience (p=0.063) and the anxious attachment sub-dimension (p=0.808). Nevertheless, sex is significantly associated with satisfaction with life (p=0.014, p<0.05) and the avoidant attachment sub-dimension (p<0.001, p<0.01). There is a significant relationship between age and psychological resilience (p=0.001, p<0.01). In the analyses regarding satisfaction with life, we examined by one-way ANOVA whether the differences between satisfaction with life and its potential independent variables (academic achievement, perceived economic level, perception of future, relationships with friends, education level, self-esteem, psychological resilience) were significant. The findings of these analyses are shown in Table 2. A significant difference was found between the groups in the total scores of satisfaction with life with respect to the level of academic achievement (high- intermediate-low), (F

[2,420] =6.78; p=0.001). Analysis of

Levene’s homogeneity of variance indicates that the variances are homogeneous (p=0.873). Bonferroni test was performed for post-hoc analysis. Satisfaction with life was found to be significantly higher in patients with a high level of perceived academic achievement (Mean=24.36, SD=6.18) than in those with an intermediate (Mean=23.15, SD=6.21) and low (Mean=19.79, SD=6.04) level of academic achievement.

Analysis of the total scores of satisfaction with life based on perceived economic level (low-middle-high) revealed that there was a significant difference between the groups (F

[2,420] =33.072, p<0.001). Levene’s

homogeneity of variance analysis shows that the variances are not homogeneous (p=0.003). Accordingly, satisfaction with life differs among university students in terms of perceived economic level. Examining the mean difference of total scores of perception of the future sub-dimension of RSA and satisfaction with life shows a significant association (F

[1,419] =16.123,

p=0.000). Levene’s homogeneity of variance reveals that variances are homogeneous (p=0.453). For the relationship with friends, a significant difference between the groups was seen (F

[13,409] =2.510,

p=0.003). Analysis of Levene’s homogeneity of variance shows that variances are homogeneous (p=0.068). Findings show that satisfaction with life is significantly higher for those with more than one close friend (Mean=24.04, SD=5.99). A significant difference was also found between education level (undergraduate, master, doctorate) and satisfaction with life (F

[2,420] =4.185, p=0.016). Analysis of Levene’s

homogeneity of variance shows that variances are homogeneous (p=0.348). Mean scores of satisfaction with life were higher (Mean=27.33, SD=5.51) in participants who study for their doctorate compared to undergraduates and master’s students. One-way ANOVA was performed to test whether satisfaction with life differs according to psychological resilience levels. The total scores of psychological resilience were divided into three groups: 1 standard deviation below the mean, the mean, 1 standard deviation above the mean. There is a significant difference between satisfaction with life scores in terms of psychological resilience level (F

[2,420] =4.896,

p=0.008). Analysis of Levene’s homogeneity of

Table 3: Attachment dimensions predicting life satisfaction in multiple regression analysis

Variable B Standard error B ß T p Dual correlation Partial correlation

Constant 32.545 1.241 26.224 <0.001

Anxious attachment -0.084 0.018 -0.235 -4.745 <0.001 -0.299 -0.226

Avoidant attachment -0.060 0.017 -0.172 -3.467 <0.001 -0.259 -0.159

Life satisfaction R=0.338, R2=0.115, *p<0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.

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variance shows that variances are homogeneous (p=0.550). As the level of psychological resilience rises, satisfaction with life increases. Bonferroni test was performed for post-hoc analysis. Satisfaction with life scores of the group with high psychological resilience (Mean=25.39, SD=6.49) were found to be significantly higher than those with low psychological resilience (Mean=21.5217, SD=5.42). These findings suggest that satisfaction with life differs among university students, based on their psychological resilience levels. The anxiety and avoidance dimensions of attachment that are thought to have an effect on “satisfaction with life”, one of the indicators of subjective well-being, were tested to disclose the presence of such an effect using the “enter” method in multiple regression analysis. The analysis shows that anxious and avoidant attachment accounts for 11% of the variance in satisfaction with life. It was observed that insecure attachment dimensions were significantly associated with life satisfaction (R=0.338, R2=0.115), and anxiety and avoidance sub-dimensions of attachment were found to be a significant predictor of satisfaction with life (F

[2,420] =27.162, p<0.001). The

increase in satisfaction with life was detected to be related to the reduction in anxious and avoidant attachment scores. The relative significance of the predictor variables with respect to the standardized regression coefficients (ß) is anxious attachment (ß=- 0.235) and avoidant attachment (ß=-0.172). The regression analysis results regarding prediction of satisfaction with life by attachment dimensions are given in Table 3. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to show that the anxiety and avoidance sub-dimensions of attachment predicted the total score of the RSA, one of the indicators of psychological resilience. This analysis showed no significant associations of either

anxious or avoidant attachment dimensions with psychological resilience (R=0.092, R2=0.008) and attachment sub-dimensions were not found to be a significant predictor of psychological resilience (F

[2,422] =1.805, p>0.05). The regression analysis results

regarding prediction of psychological resilience by attachment dimensions are given in Table 4.

DISCUSSION

This study aims to examine the distribution of university students’ attachment dimensions and the relationship of insecure attachment patterns to satisfaction with life and psychological resilience. Analyzes performed in view of the aims of the study indicate that most of the university students exhibit insecure attachment (anxiety-avoidant) patterns. The level of satisfaction with life is significantly lower in insecurely attached individuals than that in securely attached people. Another aim of the study is to see whether the life satisfaction of university students differs by their psychological resilience levels. Our findings indicate that satisfaction with life differs depending on psychological resilience levels, increasing with a higher level of satisfaction with life. Similar to previous studies, the presence of a two- way relationship between life satisfaction and psychological resilience may be suggested (26). The relationship between the perception of future sub- dimension of the RSA and satisfaction with life was also investigated. Several studies reported a r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n u n i v e r s i t y s t u d e n t s ’ expectations about the future and the satisfaction with their lives. It was reported that life satisfaction was increased among those who perceived a positive future (32). This finding is supported by the current study.

Table 4: Multiple regression analysis to predict total psychological resilience score

Variable B Standard error B ß T p Dual correlation Partial correlation

Constant 101.011 1.371 73.690 <0.001

Anxious attachment -0.017 0.020 -0.046 -0.880 >0.05 -0.070 -0.043

Avoidant attachment -0.024 0.019 -0.064 -1.233 >0.05 -0.082 -0.060

Psychological resilience R=0.092, R2=0.008, *p<0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.

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281Dusunen Adam The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, Volume 31, Number 3, September 2018

Satisfaction with life is thought to be related to ac ad e mic a chie vement (33). This hypothesis resembles the results of the studies performed by Tov and Diener (12) and Proctor et al. (11). Because of concerns about the future, university students consider their academic achievements as an important factor for the ability to create their professional identities (32). According to Vitters, the personality characteristic of extroversion is closely related to subjective well- being (32). Dost (32), who studied the differentiation of life satisfaction of university students according to their level of loneliness, reported that the level of loneliness increased with reduced satisfaction with life. In this study, relationship with friends were investigated to measure the association between loneliness and life satisfaction. The latter was significantly higher in those with multiple close friends than those without. Analyses to determine whether there is a significant relationship between sex and satisfaction with life seem to remain controversial. While there are studies showing that life satisfaction differs according to sex (32), some others report that there is no significant association between sex and satisfaction with life (34). The results obtained from this study show that the life satisfaction of female participants is significantly higher than that of their male counterparts. According to Diener, socio- economic status is one of the main factors affecting satisfaction with life (35). In this study, perceived economic status was also found to be related to satisfaction with life, in accordance with the findings in the study by Proctor et al. (11). Numerous studies regarding satisfaction with life indicate that attachment relationships are key determinants of subjective well-being (16). The study by Hwang et al. (17) shows that satisfaction with life is high among securely attached individuals. A substantial number of studies indicate that attachment has a direct impact on satisfaction with life (17,18). In this study, it was observed that there was a significant relationship

of anxious and avoidant attachment dimensions with life satisfaction; and these dimensions of attachment were found to be significant predictors of satisfaction with life. Findings of the current study support previous reports in the literature. In this context, therapeutic modalities that target disturbances in the attachment system or focus on an improvement of family relationships in an attachment-oriented manner, such as attachment-based family therapy, may help to increase individuals’ overall satisfaction with life. The relationship between psychological resilience and attachment has been examined in a limited number of studies. Theories that attempt to explain psychological resilience during the developmental process suggest that supportive and reassuring family interaction in early childhood shapes the child’s ability to withstand challenging situations in adulthood (35,21). In this context, studies by Kurilova (22) and Jenkins (21) reveal that anxiety and avoidance dimensions of attachment (36,37) negatively correlate with psychological resilience. These studies suggest anxious attachment to be an important predictor of resilience, yet no such predictive ability is reported for avoidant attachment. The hypothesis that attachment styles predict psychological resilience was not confirmed by the current study. The fact that avoidant attachment did not predict psychological resilience supports the results in the literature. Further studies to be performed with different populations are needed to test the relationship between attachment styles and resilience. In conclusion, attachment styles appear to be closely related to satisfaction with life in adulthood. On the other hand, as individuals’ satisfaction with life rises, the level of adaptation to stress and resilience also increases. It is thought that psychotherapeutic interventions that are directed to modulate emotions, improve the environment of trust between personal relationships, and help coping with stress will enhance secure attachment, overall satisfaction with life, and psychological resilience.

The relationship between life satisfaction, attachment styles, and psychological resilience in university students

282 Dusunen Adam The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, Volume 31, Number 3, September 2018

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Informed Consent: Written consent was obtained from the

participants.

Peer-review: Externally peer-reviewed.

Conflict of Interest: Authors declared no conflict of interest.

Financial Disclosure: Authors declared no financial support.

Contribution Categories Author Initials

Category 1

Concept/Design Z.T.T., I.T.C.

Data acquisition Z.T.T., I.T.C.

Data analysis/Interpretation Z.T.T.

Category 2 Drafting manuscript Z.T.T., I.T.C.

Critical revision of manuscript Z.T.T.

Category 3 Final approval and accountability Z.T.T., I.T.C.

Other

Technical or material support N/A

Supervision N/A

Securing funding (if applicable) N/A

Tepeli-Temiz Z, Tari-Comert I

283Dusunen Adam The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, Volume 31, Number 3, September 2018

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