Attachment Styles as Mediators Between Self-Perceived Addiction to Pornography and Psychological Distress: Findings and Implications from a Romanian Cross-Sectional Study

The present research aimed to examine the relationship between self-perceived addiction to pornography and psychological distress related to pornography use in a Romanian sample, highlighting the potential indirect effects of the three attachment styles (i.e., anxious, avoidant, and secure) on this relationship. The study involved 659 Romanian volunteers (M = 26.83, SD = 9.61), the majority of whom identified as female (75.4%). Our findings revealed that psychological distress related to pornography use was positively associated with anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, and self-perceived addiction to pornography, and negatively associated with secure attachment. Regarding the mediation models, avoidant attachment exhibited a significant indirect effect in the relationship between self-perceived addiction to pornography and psychological distress. Secure attachment also has a significant indirect effect, whereas anxious attachment did not show a statistically significant mediating effect. The study discusses both theoretical and practical implications of these findings.