The Interaction of Attachment Styles and Gender on Loneliness

This study aimed to examine the interactive effects of attachment styles and gender on loneliness. In total, 487 Japanese adults with a mean age of 40.92 years completed the adult attachment style scales for “the generalized others” (ECR-GO), and the Japanese Version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3. Multiple regression analyses revealed a significant interaction between attachment anxiety and gender. Since the interaction was significant, a simple slope test indicated that the association between attachment anxiety and loneliness tended to be greater for women, while the association between attachment anxiety and loneliness was lesser for men.