Attachment insecurity moderates emotion responses to mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation in adults raised in low socioeconomic status households.
Taylor N West, Brian P Don, Barbara L. Fredrickson
Emotion September 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1037/emo0001049 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 113 |
| Population | Midlife adults raised in low-SES homes |
| Interventions | loving-kindness meditation mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 6-week intervention, 10-week daily reporting period |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditation increased positive emotions and decreased negative emotions over time in individuals with greater attachment anxiety, while both meditation types reduced negative emotions in those with high attachment avoidance. |
Abstract
Research on attachment theory holds that insecure attachment influences people's daily social and emotional experiences. Mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness meditation have been associated with improvements in physical and mental well-being often through their influence on emotion experience and regulation. Yet, little research has examined how emotional well-being may be improved in insecurely attached individuals through meditation practice. We suspected that the emotion profiles of anxious and avoidant attachment may shift with meditation training, both across time and on a particular day. Improving emotional well-being may be especially consequential for those most at risk for negative health outcomes in late life. A diverse community sample of midlife adults raised in low-SES homes (N = 113; 55% white, 87.5% female) completed daily emotion reports for 10 weeks, during which they received 6 weeks of meditation training, randomized to either loving-kindness or mindfulness meditation practice. Results from growth curve analyses revealed that individuals with greater attachment anxiety and randomized to mindfulness meditation reported significant increases over time in positive emotions alongside decreases in negative emotions. Those high in attachment avoidance reported significant decreases in negative emotions in both meditation groups. On the daily level, within-person dose-response analyses revealed that individuals with greater attachment anxiety showed the most consistent dose-response relations between the duration of either meditation practice and same-day increases in positive emotions and decreases in negative emotions. These findings highlight how meditation interventions can shift emotion profiles of insecurely attached midlife adults who are at heightened risk for late life chronic illnesses. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Meditation Moderates the Relationship between Insecure Attachment and Loneliness: A Study of Long-Term Care Residents in Thailand. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) April 11, 2024
- Implementing twelve-weeks of loving-kindness meditation and mindfulness of breathing for adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury and their parents: a mixed method pilot study. BMC Psychology July 23, 2025
- A Unifying Framework of Meditation Techniques Mindfulness February 1, 2026
- Mindfulness, Loving-Kindness, and Compassion-Based Meditation Interventions and Adult Attachment Orientations: A Systematic Map. Behavioral Sciences January 24, 2025
- Understanding the Affective and Mental Health Outcomes of Meditation Interventions: The Role of Individual Differences in Self-compassion. Mindfulness 2026
and 1 more in the library
Cites 20
- Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology October 27, 2008
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. Emotion October 1, 2008
- Effect of kindness-based meditation on health and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology June 30, 2014
- Brief mindfulness training for negative affectivity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology June 25, 2018
and 15 more in the library