Adult attachment styles and emotional regulation in the population of Quito, Ecuador

The aim of this study was to explore the association between adult attachment styles and emotion regulation. Two hundred and ninety students between the ages of 18 and 25 participated (M = 21.18; SD = 2.86), coming from various university careers of two higher education institutions in Quito (Ecuador); they were selected by chance grouping. Two instruments were used for the measurement. The first one was the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) scale, validated in the Ecuadorian context, which was used to evaluate the type of attachment in romantic relationships. The second instrument was the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), in its original version translated into Spanish, used to assess difficulties in emotional regulation. The results showed that secure attachment occurs in a higher percentage of female participants (60 %), that there are no differences by sex in the emotional regulation indicators (p > .05) and that, in the studied population, there is an association between insecure adult attachment styles and emotional dysregulation (p < .05). It is concluded that positive role models of self and of others, as well as low levels of anxiety and avoidance, present in the secure attachment style, are protective factors that contribute to emotional regulation.