Gibson, Jodie (2021) The Relationship and Contribution of Insecure Attachment and Cognitive Avoidance to Social Problem-Solving. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Social problem-solving is a necessary life skill, integral in the management of emotions, psychological adjustment and wellbeing. Therefore, developing a clear understanding of the factors influencing social problem-solving is imperative. The focus of this study is to analyse the relationship and contribution of insecure attachment and cognitive avoidance to social problem-solving variability. Cognitive avoidance was tested as a unified construct using both thought suppression and rumination. Based on prior research, it was hypothesised that both insecure attachment and cognitive avoidance would have a significant negative relationship with social problem-solving. Furthermore, it was hypothesised that cognitive avoidance would contribute to social problem-solving variability above and beyond, insecure attachment. Hypotheses were tested using correlation analyses and hierarchical regression. An online survey was conducted with 376 Australian adult residents and included; the Social Problem-Solving Inventory Revised-Short Form measuring social problem-solving, the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised to measure attachment, the White Bear Suppression Inventory measuring thought suppression, and the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire to measure rumination. The first two hypotheses were supported, and the third hypothesis was partially supported. While the overall model remained significant, and cognitive avoidance did significantly contribute to social problem-solving above and beyond insecure attachment, thought suppression became insignificant in the final stage of the regression. Strengths, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed. The findings can inform the development of effective cognitive avoidant based interventions aimed at improving social problem-solving outcomes.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
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| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Zahra Izadikhah |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Jul 2025 23:43 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Jul 2025 23:43 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | social problem-solving ; insecure attachment ; cognitive avoidance ; thought suppression ; rumination |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52346 |
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