Previous studies documenting the existence of distinct

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the abstract and limitations and future-work section and stated research gap of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 2025 and 2026, spanning 4 journals.

Supporting evidence — 6 representative gaps

• Exploring attachment profiles in emerging adults: Insights from global and romantic domains (2025) · Journal of Social and Personal Relationships · doi

  Despite previous studies documenting the existence of distinct attachment models that provide complementary information, there is a gap in research examining empirically attachment profiles that integrate both global attachment and attachment in specific domains from a person-centered approach.

  generalabstract
  Keywords: attachment despite previous documenting existence distinct models provide complementary information there examining empirically profiles integrate
• Self-inconsistency and attachment insecurity mediate and moderate the association between anxiety and reasons for living in Chinese college students (2026) · Scientific Reports · doi

  Several limitations should be acknowledged. First, the cross-sectional design precludes causal inference and limits conclusions regarding temporal ordering among anxiety, self-inconsistency, attachment processes, and reasons for living; longitudinal, cross-lagged, and experimental or intervention-based designs are needed to examine causal pathways and dynamic processes. Second, the use of a nonclinical sample from a single Chinese university constrains generalizability to clinical or high-risk populations, other cultural contexts, and different developmental stages, highlighting the need for more diverse and multi-site samples. Third, reliance on self- report measures may introduce biases related to social desirability, recall, and current affective states; future studies would benefit from multi-method and multi-informant approaches to enhance measurement robustness and ecological validity. A further limitation is the empirical overlap among key constructs. Moderate-to- high correlations—particularly between anxiety and self-inconsistency, and between self-inconsistency and attachment avoidance—suggest that self-report measures may capture shared variance reflecting underlying psychological distress rather than entirely distinct entities. These overlaps indicate that the constructs are not empirically independent, potentially pointing to a broader dimension of disengagement from self and others. Future research should clarify whether these constructs represent unique facets of a higher-order factor or demonstrate differential predictive validity. Importantly, another limitation concerns the omission of potentially relevant variables, most notably depressive symptoms, from the model. Given the substantial comorbidity between anxiety and depression, the observed effects of anxiety may be partially confounded by shared variance with depressive symptoms that was not controlled for28,60. Without such statistical control, it remains unclear whether the mediating roles of self-inconsistency and attachment avoidance reflect unique contributions of anxiety or are influenced by unmeasured depressive symptomatology. Accordingly, future research should incorporate depressive symptoms and other key covariates to more accurately disentangle the mechanisms through which anxiety affects reasons for living.

  generallimitationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: self anxiety inconsistency depressive attachment multi future constructs symptoms cross causal among processes reasons living
• Attachment Insecurity and Psychological Flexibility in Emergent Adulthood: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion (2026) · Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Psychologia-Paedagogia · doi

  Several confounding variables (eg., involvement in a therapeutic process before participation in this research) could distort the associations we found. Another possible limitation could be that we did not have a large enough sample to perform a more in-depth analysis of the differences between attachment anxiety and avoidance in different relationships. The lack of significant findings between the attachment avoidance dimension and the components of self-compassion and psychological flexibility is noteworthy. While this may reflect a true absence of relationship, it is also possible that the operationalization of attachment avoidance in this study did not capture its nuances or that the sample size was insufficient to detect smaller effects. The study relies on self-report measures for assessing attachment, selfcompassion, and psychological flexibility, which are susceptible to social desirability bias, recall bias, and individual differences in introspection. These biases could impact the accuracy of the data. Additionally, the use of a single measurement tool for each construct may not fully capture the complexity of these psychological dimensions, especially attachment, which can be multidimensional and context-dependent. Although the study offers valuable insights through correlational analyses, this method does not allow for a full exploration of the mechanisms at play. Future research could benefit from using experimental or mixed-methods designs to explore the causal relationships and underlying processes in greater depth. While the study provides valuable insights into the relationships between attachment anxiety, self-compassion, and psychological flexibility, its limitations suggest that further research, particularly with a longitudinal design, 183 IONELA-VASILICA-ANDREEA OLARU, CARMEN COSTEA-BĂRLUȚIU more diverse samples, and alternative methods of measuring these constructs, would help to clarify and extend these findings. Additionally, exploring potential interventions to enhance psychological flexibility through self-compassion may offer practical implications for mental health interventions. REFERENCES psychological study of the Strange Situation Ainsworth, M. D., Blehar, M., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A Handbook of attachment: Theory, Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2016). Attachment, parenting, and. Psychological Press. research, and clinical applications genetics. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Barnard, L. K., & Curry, J. F. (2011). Self-compassion: Conceptualizations, correlates, & Review of General Psychology, 15 (3rd ed., pp. 155–179). Guilford Press. interventions. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025754 (4), 289-303. Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51 in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. (6), 1173–1182. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173 Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A 61 test of a four-category model. (2), 226. Beduna, K. N., & Perrone-McGovern, K. M. (2019). Recalled childhood bullying victimization and shame in adulthood: The influence of attachment security, self-compassion, and emotion regulation. Attachment and loss: Volume II: Separation, anxiety and anger Traumatology, 25 (1), 21..

  generallimitationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: attachment psychological self compassion flexibility social anxiety avoidance relationships interventions psychology possible sample depth differences
• Attachment Dimensions and Depression: A Review of Associations, Mechanisms, and Clinical Implications (2026) · Exploring Science Academic Conference Series · doi

  Future research would benefit from longitudinal designs, greater use of dimensional attachment assessment, and clinical trials evaluating attachment-informed interventions across diverse populations. Research should aim to understand the mechanisms underlying the associations between attachment dimensions and depression.

  generalfuture-work sectionevidence 5/5
  Keywords: future research benefit longitudinal designs greater use dimensional
• Attachment Insecurity and Psychological Flexibility in Emergent Adulthood: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion (2026) · Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Psychologia-Paedagogia · doi

  The current study aims to address the gap in the literature regarding the relationship between attachment dimensions and psychological flexibility, with a focus on the mediating role of self-compassion. The research gap includes the need to explore the complex relationships between attachment anxiety, self-compassion, and psychological flexibility in emergent adulthood.

  generalstated research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: current study aims address gap literature regarding relationship
• Attachment Insecurity and Psychological Flexibility in Emergent Adulthood: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion (2026) · Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Psychologia-Paedagogia · doi

  Future research should aim to replicate the findings of the current study using a larger and more diverse sample. The study suggests that interventions aimed at promoting self-compassion may be effective in reducing attachment anxiety and promoting psychological flexibility. Future research should explore the effectiveness of such interventions in promoting psychological flexibility and well-being in young adults.

  generalfuture-work sectionevidence 5/5
  Keywords: future research aim replicate findings current study using

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