Alexithymia and attachment insecurities in impulsive aggression

• Published in: Attachment & human development Vol. 11; no. 2; pp. 165 - 182
• Main Authors: Fossati, Andrea, Acquarini, Elena, Feeney, Judith A., Borroni, Serena, Grazioli, Federica, Giarolli, Laura E., Franciosi, Gianluca, Maffei, Cesare
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 01.03.2009; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; adult attachment; Affective Symptoms - psychology; Aggression - psychology; alexithymia; Biological and medical sciences; Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders - psychology; Female; Humans; impulsive aggression; Impulsive Behavior - psychology; Male; Medical sciences; mentalization; Object Attachment; Personality Inventory; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Social behavior disorders. Criminal behavior. Delinquency; Students - psychology; Techniques and methods; Universities; Young Adult; Human; Affect affectivity; Antisocial behavior; Impulsivity; adult attachment; Aggression; Evaluation scale; Alexithymia; Psychometrics; impulsive aggression; Cognition; Personality; Affective attachment; mentalization; Adult; Cognitive style; Social behavior disorder; Aggressiveness
• ISSN: 1461-6734; 1469-2988; 1469-2988
• DOI: 10.1080/14616730802625235

The aims of this study were to develop a new measure of impulsive aggressiveness, and to assess whether this measure was associated with deficits in mentalized affectivity and adult attachment styles in a sample of 637 non-clinical participants. Extending Fonagy and Bateman's ( 2004 ) hypothesis, the mediating role of poor affectivity mentalization in the relationship between insecure attachment styles and impulsive aggression was also evaluated. Selected insecure attachment styles (R 2 adjusted  = .18, p < .001) and deficits in mentalized affectivity (R 2 adjusted  = .25, p < .001) were significantly associated with impulsive aggressiveness. The overall regression model accounted for roughly 33% of the variance in impulsive aggressiveness. Mentalization deficits significantly mediated the effects of attachment styles on impulsive aggressiveness, although effect size measures suggested that only partial mediation occurred.