Attachment representations and well-being among older adults

John Bowlby (1979) proposed that internal working models of attachment are formed in infancy and guide individuals' behavior in close relationships "from the cradle to the grave." A small but growing body of research suggests that attachment theory holds great promise as a means of accounting for individual differences in adapting to and coping with a number of later-life challenges. The present study examined the relationships between attachment security and well-being in a sample of 90 older adults (mean age = 72 years). Self-report data revealed significant but modest relationships between attachment security and well-being. Follow-up interviews were conducted with a subsample of 23 participants; interview data suggested that attachment security (with respect to a present attachment figure) was a strong predictor of overall well-being and adjustment to the loss of a past attachment figure. Data from both phases of the study raise a number of methodological and theoretical questions; these issues are discussed in detail, along with implications for future research and clinical intervention.