Attachment, empathy, emotion regulation, and subjective well-being in young women

This study explored the association between attachment and subjective well-being by examining the possible mediating roles of empathy and emotion regulation (i.e., reappraisal and suppression) with a sample of young women (ages 18-25) attending U.S. universities (N = 479). Higher attachment anxiety and avoidance were associated with lower subjective well-being. Attachment anxiety and avoidance were associated with affective, but not cognitive, empathy. Empathy did not mediate the relation between attachment and subjective well-being. Higher attachment anxiety and avoidance were associated with lower reappraisal, partially mediating the effect on subjective well-being. Attachment anxiety and avoidance were negatively associated with suppression, but suppression failed to function as a mediator between attachment and subjective well-being. Taken together, the results highlight the role of reappraisal in subjective well-being for young women with higher levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance.