The relation between adults’ state of mind with respect to attachment and automatic thoughts in clinical and healthy conditions: The mediating role of self-esteem

Insecure attachment as well as depressive automatic thoughts have been related to low self- esteem and both have been identified as predisposing factors for psychopathological outcomes. Nevertheless, no study has investigated the relation between these two constructs yet. The study aims to investigate depressive automatic thoughts in relation to adults’ attachment and mental health condition and to test whether low self-esteem mediates the link between insecure attachment and automatic thoughts. The sample included 33 adults subdivided into two groups: a clinically referred one with a diagnosis of either mood or anxiety disorder and a healthy control one. Instruments included: (1) the Adult Attachment Interview; (2) the Automatic Thought Questionnaire; (3) the MMPI-2 subscale for Low Self Esteem. Controlling for attachment status, depressive automatic thoughts were more frequently reported among clinically referred adults, compared to healthy ones. Moreover, insecure adults reported lower self- esteem and more automatic thoughts than secure ones, independently if they were clinically referred or healthy. Low self-esteem mediated the impact of insecure attachment on depressive automatic thoughts. These findings contribute to the understanding of the developmental root of dysfunctional beliefs in adulthood and suggest interesting clinical applications derived from attachment theory and research