Relationship of adult attachment styles and external shame on depression symptoms among married couples: A preliminary study

Abstract

This study investigated the potential impact of attachment styles and external shame on depression symptoms among married couples from low-income apartments in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. A door-to-door approach was used to recruit participants and collect data. Three research scales were used in this study: the Experience in Close Relationship-Revised Version questionnaire was used to measure individual differences in adult attachment styles, the Other as Shamer Scale was used to measure external shame, and the Personal Health Questionnaire was used to measure depression symptoms. This study reports that the most common depression symptoms reported are among individuals who experienced depression symptoms for less than one month. Results showed that dual-insecure couples (wives' anxiety attachment and husbands' avoidance attachment, wives' avoidance attachment and husbands' avoidance attachment) were significantly correlated with depression in a sample of the wives. The findings also revealed that a specific type of dual-insecure couples (wives' anxiety attachment and husbands' avoidance attachment) was a predictor of depression symptoms. These results provide evidence for a role of specific dual-insecure couples and external shame on depression symptoms.