Attachment as a Keyword for Wellbeing and Mental Health: From Theory to Practice

Dear Colleagues,

Since its initial proposal by Bowlby in 1969 [1], attachment theory has provided a relevant framework for understanding individual and psychological and relational processes. Over the years, its application has been extended to different contexts (e.g., palliative care), populations (e.g., people belonging to religious, sexual, or cultural minorities), and aims (e.g., evaluating parenting skills; developing clinical interventions or assessment tools). Recent psychological research has demonstrated the effects of attachment on well-being and mental health [2], highlighting the need to consider models, methodologies, and interventions that can be adapted to various contexts and across the lifespan.

This Special Issue aims to collect scientific and multidisciplinary contributions on attachment and its possible relation to wellbeing and mental health. We encourage researchers, scholars, and clinicians to submit contributions from different areas, including original qualitative and quantitative articles, reviews, mini reviews, meta-analyses, theories, and clinical case studies which focus on how attachment theory and evaluation is correlated with other constructs and variables. We also encourage contributions on preventive and intervention models in which attachment has been used or applied for individuals’ or couples’ wellbeing.

References

1. Bowlby, J. Attachment and Loss, Vol. 1: Attachment; Basic Books: New York, NY, USA, 1969. Available online: https://mindsplain.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ATTACHMENT_AND_LOSS_VOLUME_I_ATTACHMENT.pdf (accessed on 20 December 2022).
2. Zhang, X.; Li, J.; Xie, F.; Chen, X.; Xu, W.; Hudson, N.W. The relationship between adult attachment and mental health: A meta-analysis. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 2022, 123, 1089–1137. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000437.

Dr. Luca Rollè
Dr. Alessandra Santona
Dr. Tommaso Trombetta
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• attachment
• wellbeing
• mental health
• evaluation of attachment
• attachment and minorities
• couple
• family
• perinatality
• parenthood