Interpersonal trust is significant in the development of society. Attachment theory provides a framework for understanding the trust-building process. Although many studies have investigated the association between attachment and interpersonal trust, controversy still exists regarding their correlation and the separate effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance on interpersonal trust. This meta-analysis summarized the combined relationship between both attachment dimensions and interpersonal trust in adults by including 53 articles reporting 149 effect sizes (N = 45,166). The results revealed that both attachment dimensions were negatively, concurrently, and longitudinally associated with interpersonal trust. Further, subgroup analyses indicated that attachment avoidance was more strongly related to interpersonal trust than attachment anxiety (F(1,291) = 459.568, p < .001). The effect sizes varied across cultures, trust figures, and sample sizes. The effect sizes between attachment anxiety (r = −.038) and attachment avoidance (r = −.15) on interpersonal trust in Chinese studies were both lower than in Western studies. Our results highlight the importance of attachment security in interpersonal relationships.
AssinkM.WibbelinkC. J. M. (2016). Fitting three-level meta-analytic models in R: A step-by-step tutorial. Quantitative Methods for Psychology, 12(3), 154–174. https://doi.org/10.20982/tqmp.12.3.p154
3.
AwadN. F.RagowskyA. (2008). Establishing trust in electronic commerce through online word of mouth: An examination across genders. Journal of Management Information Systems, 24(4), 101–121. https://doi.org/10.2753/Mis0742-1222240404
BaldwinM. W.KeelanJ. P. R.FehrB.EnnsV.KohRangarajooE. (1996). Social-cognitive conceptualization of attachment working models: Availability and accessibility effects. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(1), 94–109. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.71.1.94
6.
BellV.RobinsonB.KatonaC.FettA. K.ShergillS. (2019). When trust is lost: the impact of interpersonal trauma on social interactions. Psychological Medicine, 49(6), 1041–1046. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291718001800
7.
BowlbyJ. (1982). Attachment and loss (2nd ed., 1). New York: Basic Books..
8.
BrennanK. A.ClarkC. L.ShaverP. R. (1998). Self-report measurement of adult attachment: An integrative overview. In SimpsonJ. A.RholesW. S. (Eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships (pp. 46–76). The Guilford Press.
9.
CampbellL.StantonS. C. E. (2019). Adult attachment and trust in romantic relationships. Current Opinion in Psychology, 25, 148–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.08.004
10.
CaronA.LafontaineM. F.BureauJ. F.LevesqueC.JohnsonS. M. (2012). Comparisons of close relationships: An evaluation of relationship quality and patterns of attachment to parents, friends, and romantic partners in young adults. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science-Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, 44(4), 245–256. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028013
11.
ChiL. P.XinZ. Q. (2013). Intermediary mechanism of trust inter-generational transmission: a conceptual model. Journal of Capital Normal University (Social Sciences Edition), (1), 140–147.
12.
ChuaR. Y. J.MorrisM. W.IngramP. (2009). Guanxi vs networking: Distinctive configurations of affect- and cognition-based trust in the networks of Chinese vs American managers. Journal of International Business Studies, 40(3), 490–508. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400422
13.
CohenT. R.WildschutT.InskoC. A. (2010). How communication increases interpersonal cooperation in mixed-motive situations. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2009.09.009
14.
CollinsT. J.GillathO. (2012). Attachment, breakup strategies, and associated outcomes: The effects of security enhancement on the selection of breakup strategies. Journal of Research in Personality, 46(2), 210–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2012.01.008
15.
CollinsN. L.ReadS. J. (1990). Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58(4), 644-663.
16.
CorriveauK. H.HarrisP. L.MeinsE.FernyhoughC.ArnottB.ElliottL.LiddleB.HearnA.VittoriniL.de RosnayM. (2009). Young children’s trust in their mother’s claims: Longitudinal links with attachment security in infancy. Child Development, 80(3), 750–761. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01295.x
17.
CortesK.WoodJ. V. (2019). How was your day? Conveying care, but under the radar, for people lower in trust. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 83, 11–22. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2019.03.003.
18.
Del GiudiceM. (2011). Sex differences in romantic attachment: A meta-analysis. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 37, 193–214.
19.
DeutschM. (1960). Trust, trustworthiness, and the F scale. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 61(1), 138–140. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0046501
20.
DiamondR. M.BrimhallA. S.BramesfeldK. D. (2017). Got trust? A mixed-method consideration of how past relationships influence perceptions of trust. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 58(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2016.1268012
21.
DuvalS.TweedieR. (2000a). A nonparametric "trim and fill" method of accounting for publication bias in meta-analysis. Publications of the American Statistical Association, 95(449), 89–98. http://doi.org/10.2307/2669529
22.
DuvalS.TweedieR. (2000b). Trim and fill: A simple funnel-plot-based method of testing and adjusting for publication bias in meta-analysis. Biometrics, 56(2), 455–463. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0006-341X.2000.00455.x
23.
EggerM.SmithG. D.SchneiderM.MinderC. (1997). Bias in meta-analysis detected by a simple, graphical test. Bmj-British Medical Journal, 315(7109), 629–634. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.315.7109.629
24.
ErdmanP.NgK. M. (2015). Attachment: Expanding the cultural connections. Attachment.
25.
FeeneyJ. A. (2008). Adult romantic attachment: Developments in the study of couple relationships. In CassidyJ.ShaverP. R. (Eds.), Handbook of attachment theory and research (2nd ed., pp. 456–481). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
26.
FeeneyJ. A. (2016). Adult romantic attachment: Developments in the study of couple relationships.
27.
FinkelE. J.BurnetteJ. L.ScissorsL. E. (2007). Vengefully ever after: Destiny beliefs, state attachment anxiety, and forgiveness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(5), 871–886. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.5.871
28.
FonagyP.GergelyG.TargetM. (2007). The parent-infant dyad and the construction of the subjective self. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48(3–4), 288–328. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01727.x
29.
FraleyR. C.HudsonN. W.HeffernanM. E.SegalN. (2015). Are adult attachment styles categorical or dimensional? A taxometric analysis of general and relationship-specific attachment orientations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 109(2), 354–368. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000027
30.
FraleyR. C.ShaverP. R. (2000). Adult romantic attachment: theoretical developments, emerging controversies, and unanswered questions. Review of General Psychology, 4(2), 132–154. http://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.4.2.132
31.
GillathO.KarantzasG. C.SelcukE. (2017). A net of friends: investigating friendship by integrating attachment theory and social network analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43(11), 1546–1565. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167217719731
32.
GivertzM.WoszidloA.SegrinC.KnutsonK. (2013). Direct and indirect effects of attachment orientation on relationship quality and loneliness in married couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30(8), 1096–1120. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407513482445
33.
GriffinD.BartholomewK. (1994). Models of the self and other - Fundamental dimensions underlying measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(3), 430–445. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.67.3.430
34.
HarmsP. D.BaiY. T.HanG. H. (2016). How leader and follower attachment styles are mediated by trust. Human Relations, 69(9), 1853–1876. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726716628968
35.
HazanC.ShaverP. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(3), 511–524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.52.3.511
36.
HillenM. A.de HaesH. C. J. M.StalpersL. J. A.KlinkenbijlJ. H. G.EddesE. H.VerdamM. G. E.SmetsE. M. A. (2014). How attachment style and locus of control influence patients’ trust in their oncologist. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 76(3), 221–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2013.11.014
37.
ImamogluE. O.Karakitaplu-AygunZ. (2006). Actual, ideal, and expected relatedness with parents across and within cultures. European Journal of Social Psychology, 36(5), 721–745. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.313
38.
KarantzasG. C.FeeneyJ. A.GoncalvesC. V.McCabeM. P. (2014). Towards an integrative attachment-based model of relationship functioning. British Journal of Psychology, 105(3), 413–434. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12047
39.
KarantzasG. C.SimpsonJ. A.OverallN. C.CampbellL. (2019). The association between attachment orientations and partner evaluations: An ideal standards perspective. Personal Relationships, 26(4), 628–653. http://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12297
40.
KimJ. S.WeisbergY. J.SimpsonJ. A.OrinaM. M.FarrellA. K.JohnsonW. F. (2015). Ruining it for both of us: The disruptive role of low-trust partners on conflict resolution in romantic relationships. Social Cognition, 33(5), 520–542. https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.2015.33.5.520
41.
KlestB.PhilipponO. (2016). Trust in the medical profession and patient attachment style. Psychology Health & Medicine, 21(7), 863–870. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2015.1120328
42.
KraemerH. C.SticeE.KazdinA.OfordD.KupferD. (2001). How do risk factors work together? Mediators, moderators, and independent, overlapping, and proxy risk factors. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158(6), 848–856.
43.
KuwabaraK.WillerR.MacyM. W.MashimaR.YamagishiT. T. (2007). Culture, identity, and structure of social exchange: a web-based trust experiment in the u.s. and japan. Social Psychology Quarterly, 70(4), 461–479.
44.
LiD.ShuC.ChenX. (2019). Sex differences in romantic attachment among Chinese: A meta-analysis. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(9), 2652–2676.
45.
LiY.WangP.SunL. (2014). The evolution, tendency,and theoretical construction of chinese social cognition research. Advances in Psychological Science, 22(11), 1691–1707. http://doi.org/10.3724/sp.j.1042.2014.01691
46.
MaL. K.TunneyR. J.FergusonE. (2017). Does gratitude enhance prosociality?: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 143(6), 601–635. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000103
47.
MikulincerM. (1998). Attachment working models and the sense of trust: An exploration of interaction goals and affect regulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(5), 1209–1224. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.5.1209
MikulincerM.ShaverP. R. (2007). Attachment, group-related processes, and psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 57(2), 233–245. https://doi.org/10.1521/ijgp.2007.57.2.233
50.
OverallN. C.FletcherG. J. O.SimpsonJ. A.FilloJ. (2015). Attachment insecurity, biased perceptions of romantic partners’ negative emotions, and hostile relationship behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(5), 730–749. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038987
51.
PetersonR. A.BrownS. P. (2005). On the use of beta coefficients in meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 175–181. https://doi.org//0021-9010.90.1.175
52.
RodriguezL. M.DiBelloA. M.OverupC. S.NeighborsC. (2015). The price of distrust: trust, anxious attachment, jealousy, and partner abuse. Partner Abuse, 6(3), 298–319. https://doi.org/10.1891/1946-6560.6.3.298
RothP. L.LeH.OhI. S.Van IddekingeC. H.BobkoP. (2018). Using beta coefficients to impute missing correlations in meta-analysis research: Reasons for caution. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103(6), 644–658. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000293
55.
RousseauD. M.SitkinS. B.BurtR. S.CamererC. (1998). Not so different after all: A cross-discipline view of trust. Academy of Management Review, 23(3), 393–404. http://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1998.926617
56.
SchmittD. P.AlcalayL.AllensworthM.AllikJ.ZupaniA. (2010). Are men universally more dismissing than women? Gender differences in romantic attachment across 62 cultural regions. Personal Relationships, 10(3), 307–331. http://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6811.00052
57.
SchmittD. P.ReipsU. D. (2004). Patterns and universals of adult romantic attachment across 62 cultural regions: Are models of Self and Other pancultural constructs?
58.
SchneiderI. K.KonijnE. A.RighettiF.RusbultC. E. (2011). A healthy dose of trust: The relationship between interpersonal trust and health. Personal Relationships, 18(4), 668–676. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2010.01338.x
59.
SchoormanF. D.MayerR. C.DavisJ. H. (2007). An integrative model of organizational trust: Past, present, and future. Academy of Management Review, 32(2), 344–354. http://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2007.24348410
ShaverP. R.MikulincerM.CassidyJ. (2018). Attachment, caregiving in couple relationships, and prosocial behavior in the wider world. Curr Opin Psychol, 25, 16–20. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.02.009
62.
SheftallA. H.Schoppe-SullivanS. J.FutrisT. G. (2010). Adolescent mothers’ perceptions of the coparenting relationship with their child’s father: A function of attachment security and trust. Journal of Family Issues, 31(7), 884–905. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513x09359892
63.
SimmonsB. L.GootyJ.NelsowD. L.LittleL. M. (2009). Secure attachment: implications for hope, trust, burnout, and performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30(2), 233–247. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.585
SimpsonJ. A.RholesW. S. (2012). Chapter six - Adult attachment orientations, stress, and romantic relationships. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 279–328. http://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-394286-9.00006-8
67.
SimpsonJ. A.RholesW. S.PhillipsD. (1996). Conflict in close relationships: An attachment perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(5), 899–914. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.71.5.899
68.
SuhE.DienerE.OishiS.TriandisH. C. (1998). The shifting basis of life satisfaction judgments across cultures: Emotions versus norms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(2), 482–493.
69.
UlemanJ. S.RheeE.BardoliwallaN.SeminG.ToyamaM. (2000). The relational self: Closeness to ingroups depends on who they are, culture, and the type of closeness. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 3(1), 1–17. http://doi.org/10.1111/1467-839x.00052
70.
ViechtbauerW. (2015). Meta-analysis package for R.
71.
VishwanathA. (2004). Manifestations of interpersonal trust in online interaction - A cross-cultural study comparing the differential utilization of seller ratings by eBay participants in Canada, France, and Germany. New Media & Society, 6(2), 219–234. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444804041441
72.
WangL. S. (2010). Relationship between adult attachment, interpersonal trust and personality traits of College Students (Master’s thesis). China Master’s thesis full-text Database. Fujian Normal University.
73.
WangC.MallinckrodtB. (2006). Acculturation, attachment, and psychosocial adjustment of Chinese/Taiwanese international students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(4), 14. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.4.422
ZhangJ. X.CheungF.LungK. (2000). Path model of specific trust and general trust in interpersonal behavior. Acta Psychology Sinica, 32(3), 311–316.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
