Thompson, Chelsea (2009) Gratitude and Attachment Style as Predictors of Romantic Loneliness. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
The aims of this study were to investigate the relationships among attachment style, gratitude, and romantic loneliness; and the contributions of attachment style and gratitude to the prediction of romantic loneliness. Participants were 130 individuals aged 18 to 80 years, who had been in a romantic relationship for at least 6 months. The Relationships Questionnaire was used to assess individuals‟ attachment styles (i.e., secure, preoccupied, fearful, and dismissing; Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991); the Gratitude Questionnaire-Six assessed individuals‟ propensity for experiencing gratitude (McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002); and the romantic subscale of the short version of the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (DiTommaso, Brannen, & Best, 2004) was used to measure romantic loneliness. Analysis revealed that fearful and dismissing attachment styles were negatively correlated with gratitude while secure attachment was positively correlated with gratitude. Preoccupied attachment was not significantly related to gratitude. Fearful and preoccupied attachment styles were positively correlated with romantic loneliness, while secure attachment was negatively related to romantic loneliness. Dismissing attachment style was not significantly correlated with romantic loneliness. Gratitude was not significantly correlated with romantic loneliness. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the only variable that contributed uniquely to the prediction of romantic loneliness was secure attachment. The practical implications of this study include encouraging the use of social skills characteristic of individuals with secure attachment (e.g., problem focused conflict resolution) in interventions tailored to individuals with insecure attachment styles. Specific counselling interventions are suggested in an effort to increase the quality of interpersonal relationships and decrease the likelihood of romantic loneliness. Future research that incorporates a measure of gratitude specific to experiences in romantic relationships, rather than trait gratitude, is suggested to expand understanding of the contribution that gratitude may make to the experience of romantic loneliness.
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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 Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Passmore, Nola |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Psychology) |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Mar 2026 02:26 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Mar 2026 02:26 |
| 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/52815 |
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