How will I love you? Self-esteem instability moderates the association between self-esteem level and romantic love styles

This study examines adult romantic attachment among university students, focusing on attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional design was used, involving 50 students aged 18 to 28 years. Data were collected through an online questionnaire using the 12-item Experiences in Close Relationships?Short Form (ECR-S). The results showed moderate attachment anxiety (M = 3.78, SD = 1.03) and low-to-moderate attachment avoidance (M = 3.16, SD = 0.90). A weak positive correlation was observed between the two dimensions (r = .16, p = .264), but the relationship was not statistically significant. Exploratory analysis identified a statistically significant difference in attachment avoidance across years of study, while the observed gender difference in attachment anxiety was not statistically significant. These demographic findings require cautious interpretation because of the small subgroup sizes. Overall, participants reported greater concern about rejection than discomfort with emotional closeness. The findings support examining attachment anxiety and avoidance as distinct dimensions of romantic attachment. However, the small convenience sample, reliance on self-reported responses, and cross-sectional design limit the generalisability of the results. Further research involving larger and more diverse student populations is recommended to examine attachment patterns and their relationship with demographic and interpersonal factors.

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the internalised stigma and self-esteem in adult outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) attending a psychiatric outpatient clinic in Iraq, and to explore the relationship between these variables. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational study among 120 adults with MDD who attended psychiatric outpatient clinics of Azadi Teaching Hospital in Kirkuk, Iraq. All participants filled out a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, the Internalised Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMI), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient and simple linear regression. Results: The overall mean ISMI score was 2.90 (SD = 0.42), with the highest scores for stereotype endorsement (M = 3.16) and alienation (M = 3.14) and the lowest for stigma resistance (M = 2.19). The overall mean RSES score was 2.29 (SD = 0.38). There was a negative correlation between internalised stigma and self-esteem (r = −0.338, p < 0.001). Self-esteem was statistically associated with internalised stigma (β = −0.338, t = −3.897, p < 0.001), explaining 11.4% of the variance (R² = 0.114) in simple linear regression. Conclusions: In this single-centre sample of adults with MDD, internalised stigma and self-esteem were inversely related. Since the study is a cross-sectional design, the association observed cannot be considered a causal relationship. The results provide a basis for consideration of the psychosocial aspects of routine psychiatric care (stigma and self-esteem) and for further longitudinal and multicentre research to establish temporal relationships and to determine potentially modifiable factors.

Background: Body image dissatisfaction (BID) is an emerging public health concern among college students due to its association with depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Sociocultural pressures during the transition to adulthood increase vulnerability. Evidence from Western Gujarat remains limited. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of BID and identify its sociodemographic and psychological predictors among undergraduate students in Western Gujarat. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 297 undergraduate students (18–24 years) from a medical college in Western Gujarat. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, including MBSRQ-AS, BDI-II, HAM-A, and RSES. BMI was calculated using standard anthropometric measurements. Data were analyzed using SPSS v25 with chi-square tests, independent t-tests, and binary logistic regression. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of BID was 58.2%. Females reported significantly higher dissatisfaction than males (66.1% vs. 48.5%, p < 0.001). Higher BID was observed among overweight/obese students (75.4%) and underweight students (66.7%). Multivariate analysis identified female gender (AOR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.13-3.37), overweight/obesity (AOR = 3.59, 95% CI: 1.85-6.97), higher depression scores (AOR = 1.05 per unit), and lower self-esteem (AOR = 0.89 per unit) as independent predictors (Nagelkerke R² = 0.398). Conclusion: BID is highly prevalent among undergraduate students in Western Gujarat, particularly among females and those with higher BMI, depression, and low self-esteem. Targeted campus-based interventions promoting body positivity, self-esteem, and mental well-being are warranted.

The present study aimed at examining relationship between sociotropy and autonomy with self-esteem and anxiety in adults in Pakistan and to test the moderation effect of perceived social support in the relationships between sociotropy and autonomy with self-esteem and anxiety. Methods: A quantitative correlational design was used. The sample consisted of 500 healthy unmarried individuals aged 18-29 years who were selected from government and private universities across the country, using a purposive sampling technique. The Personal Style Inventory, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the anxiety subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 were all filled out by the participants. Data were processed in SPSS version 26, descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, Hayes' PROCESS Macro Model 1 and internal consistency analysis were used. Results: There was a significant correlation between sociotropy and anxiety (r=.22, p<.01) and with perceived social support (r=.29, p<.01), but not with self-esteem (r=-.05, p=.267). Self-esteem (r=.15, p<.01), anxiety (r=.12, p<.01) and perceived social support (r=.20, p<.01) were positively related to autonomy. Perceived social support was shown to be significantly positively related to self-esteem (r=.14, p<.01) and, surprisingly, not significantly related to anxiety (r≈0, p=.977). Sociotropy × perceived social support interactions were significant for self-esteem (B=.002, p=.026) and anxiety (B=.001, p=.010), but the autonomy × perceived social support interactions were not significant for self-esteem (B≈0, p=.750) or anxiety (B≈0, p=.569). Conclusion: The results suggest that the sociotropic orientation is related to higher anxiety and that perceived social support modifies the relationship between sociotropy and self-esteem and anxiety. A positive relationship was found between autonomy and self-esteem and autonomy and anxiety; and perceived social support did not significantly change these relationships. These findings underline the need for taking both vulnerability and inter-personal resources into account to comprehend anxiety in young adults in Pakistan.

This study examined the influence of attachment style on fear of intimacy among emerging adults aged 18–25 years. A quantitative approach involved 152 participants who were currently or had previously been in romantic relationships, recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised (ECR-R) and Fear of Intimacy Scale (FIS). Linear regression analysis showed that insecure attachment significantly predicted fear of intimacy (β = 0.570, p < .001). Both attachment avoidance (β = 0.432, p < .001) and attachment anxiety (β = 0.368, p < .001) were significant predictors, with avoidance showing a stronger association. These findings suggest that discomfort with emotional closeness and anxiety in romantic relationships are associated with greater fear of intimacy. The results highlight the potential value of psychological interventions that support emerging adults in developing safer and healthier romantic relationships.