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Cited by 441Attachment and Relationship DynamicsEvolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorPersonality Traits and Psychology

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 145 of the 146 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Sex Differences in Romantic Attachment: A Meta-Analysis

Del Giudice, Marco·2011·Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
DOI 10.1177/0146167210392789
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Abstract

This article presents the first meta-analysis of sex differences in the avoidance and anxiety dimensions of adult romantic attachment, based on 113 samples (N = 66,132) from 100 studies employing two-dimensional romantic attachment questionnaires (Experiences in Close Relationships, Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised, and Adult Attachment Questionnaire). Overall, males showed higher avoidance and lower anxiety than females, with substantial between-study heterogeneity. Sex differences were much larger in community samples (bivariate D = .28) than in college samples (D = .12); web-based studies showed the smallest sex differences (D = .07) in the opposite direction. Sex differences also varied across geographic regions (overall Ds = .10 to .34). Sex differences in anxiety peaked in young adulthood, whereas those in avoidance increased through the life course. The relevance of these findings for evolutionary models of romantic attachment is discussed, and possible factors leading to underestimation of sex differences are reviewed.

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145 of 145 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Citations

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Show all 146 references

Research works printed but not linked: 23

  1. Albino, A., 2005, Unpublished raw data
  2. Attili, G., 2005, Età Evolutiva, 80, 60
  3. Barber, L., 2008, Unpublished raw data
  4. Conradi, H.J., 2006, European Journal of Psychiatry, 20, 258
  5. Del Giudice, M., 2008, Unpublished raw data
  6. Del Giudice, M., Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society
  7. Earls, L., 2006, The relationship between personality and adult attachment. Unpublished manuscript
  8. Feeney, J.A., Noller, P. & Hanrahan, M. ( 1994). Assessing adult attachment: Developments in the conceptualization of security and insecurity. In M. B. Sperling & W. H. Berman (Eds), Attachment in adults: Theory, assessment, and treatment (pp. 128-152). New York, NY: Guilford.
  9. Figueredo, A.J., 2004, Social Biology, 51, 121
  10. Fraley, R.C., 2005, Web-published raw data
  11. George, C., 1985, Adult Attachment Interview. Unpublished manuscript
  12. Jackson, J.J., Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society
  13. Keklik, I., 2004, Relationships of attachment status and gender to personal meaning, depressiveness and trait-anxiety among college students (Unpublished doctoral dissertation)
  14. Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., 2008, Unpublished raw data
  15. MacDonald, K., 2004, Unpublished raw data
  16. MacDonald, K., 2007, Proceedings of the National Institute of Science, 2, 49
  17. Marušić, I., 2007, Review of Psychology, 13, 9
  18. Mikulincer, M., 2008, Unpublished raw data
  19. Moreira, J.M., 2006, Laboratório de Psicologia, 4, 3
  20. Mount, M.K., 2005, Exploring the role of self-disclosure and playfulness in adult attachment relationships (Unpublished doctoral dissertation)
  21. Picardi, A., 2002, Italian Journal of Psychopathology, 8, 282
  22. Selcuk, E., 2005, Turk Psikoloji Yazilari, 8, 1
  23. Vicary, A.M., 2008, Unpublished raw data

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Metadata

Authors
Del Giudice, M.
Affiliations
University of Turin, Torino, Italy,
Venue
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2011-01-14
Volume
37
Issue
2
Pages
193-214
ISSN
  • 0146-1672 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-7433
DOI
10.1177/0146167210392789
OpenAlex
W2131783775
Cited by
441
References
146
Citations by year
2026: 22 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 35 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 70 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 32 · 2012: 14
FWCI
2.87
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ArTS Archivio della ricerca di Trieste (University of Trieste https://www.units.it/) (submittedVersion)
  • Institutional Research Information System University of Turin (University of Turin) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
Keywords
sex differences, romantic attachment, attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, adult attachment, Experiences in Close Relationships, life course, regional variation
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Anxiety, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Love, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Psychological, Object Attachment, Personality Disorders, Psychological Tests, Psychometrics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sex Factors, Young Adult

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