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Adolescents' Attachment Orientation Influences Ambulatory Blood Pressure Responses to Everyday Social Interactions

From the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology (L.C.G.), San Diego State University, San Diego, California; and the Department of Psychiatry (K.A.M.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Address correspondence to Linda C. Gallo, PhD, SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, 6363 Alvarado Ct. Suite 103, San Diego, CA 92120. E-mail: lcgallo{at}sciences.sdsu.edu.

Objectives: Adult attachment theory provides a useful framework for understanding how early developmental experiences affect social processes, associated physiological stress responses, and ultimately, health across the lifespan. The current study examined the effects of attachment orientation on physiological responses to naturalistic social interactions in adolescents.

Methods: Two-hundred five black (49%) and white high school students (14–16 years; 50% boys) completed a measure of anxious and avoidant attachment, and underwent 1.5 days of ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate (AmBP and AmHR) monitoring while they tracked social experiences.

Results: As predicted, individuals with higher avoidant attachment reported fewer interactions with friends (t [299] = –3.18, p < .01) and more anxious adolescents experienced less pleasant interactions both during (t [299] = –3.59, p < .01) and outside of school hours (t [298] = –3.59, p < .01). Individuals who were higher in anxious attachment showed augmented ambulatory diastolic and systolic blood pressure (AmDBP, AmSBP; both p < .05) in conjunction with current or recent interactions with friends. More avoidant adolescents exhibited augmented AmDBP responses to social conflict (p < .05).

Conclusions: The current findings suggest that adolescent attachment orientation may shape later physical health through influences on the nature of, and physiological responses to, social interactions in everyday life.

Key Words: adolescence • attachment style • ambulatory blood pressure • ecological momentary assessment • social environment

Abbreviations: AmBP = ambulatory blood pressure; AmDBP = ambulatory diastolic blood pressure; AmSBP = ambulatory systolic blood pressure; AmHR = ambulatory heart rate; BMI = body mass index; HLM = hierarchical linear modeling.

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