Sw. Smallbone et Mr. Dadds, Further evidence for a relationship between attachment insecurity and coercive sexual behavior in nonoffenders, J INTERP V, 16(1), 2001, pp. 22-35
To replicate and extend the findings of a previous study examining attachme
nt insecurity and coercive sexual behavior in nonoffenders, a new cohort of
119 male undergraduate students completed self-report measures of childhoo
d maternal and paternal attachment, adult attachment, antisociality, aggres
sion, and coercive sexual behavior: Consistent with earlier findings, insec
ure childhood attachment was significantly associated with coercive sexual
behavior accounting for an additional (although nonsignificant) proportion
of variance after antisociality and aggression were statistically controlle
d In contrast with earlier findings, maternal avoidant attachment rather th
an paternal avoidant attachment emerged as an important predictor of coerci
ve sexual behavior: Examination of more specific aspects of childhood attac
hment revealed that insecure patterns of both maternal and paternal attachm
ent were associated with coercive sexual behavior independently of aggressi
on and antisociality. Adult attachment avoidance was found to be associated
with coercive sexual behavior; and adult attachment anxiety was found to b
e associated with antisociality and aggression.