The relationship between attachment styles and marital

The gap

Evidence profile

Stated in the limitations and cells limitations and cells research gap sections of the source papers, classified as general, spanning 3 journals.

Supporting evidence — 3 representative gaps

• Employee Attachment Style and Emotional Exhaustion: a Moderated Mediation Model (2026) · Occupational Health Science · doi

  First, all scales in both waves of the survey were completed solely by participating employees. Although common method bias was found to fall within an acceptable range, self-reporting inevitably introduced subjective bias. Future studies should incorporate secondary data or conduct case studies to validate and refine this study’s findings to address this limitation. Second, this study used a sample of employees in China, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other cultural, institutional, and work contexts. Cultural norms, managerial practices, and interpersonal expectations vary across regions, which may influence the ways in which attachment styles, leader–member exchange, and emotional exhaustion are experienced and manifested in the workplace. Future research should replicate and extend the proposed model to different national, cultural, and organizational contexts to examine the robustness and boundary conditions of the findings. Third, this study did not fully consider differences across various job types. The degree to which employees need to engage in interpersonal relationships varies according to the nature of their work, which may influence how attachment styles affect job performance. Therefore, future research should explore how attachment styles influence employee behavior across different job categories based on industry classifications or other relevant criteria to provide more tailored insights for practitioners. Future research should examine the antecedents of employees’ attachment styles. While most scholars agree that attachment styles in the workplace are rooted in early life experiences and are relatively stable, some studies suggest that these styles can evolve during adulthood because of changes in one’s environment and the extent of interactions with others (Hudson et al., 2015). To construct a more comprehensive framework for studying employee attachment styles, longitudinal research could track changes in attachment styles over time. By investigating the dynamic influences on attachment styles, researchers can uncover the underlying factors driving 1 3Occupational Health Science (2026) 10:17 these changes, contributing to theoretical understanding and informing management strategies.

  generalstated in limitationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: styles attachment employees future cultural across influence changes bias contexts interpersonal different examine employee first
• From Attachment Insecurity to Life Satisfaction: The Pathway of Psychological Needs Satisfaction among Chinese University Students (2026) · International Journal of Mental Health Promotion · doi

  The study used a cross-sectional design and did not examine the longitudinal relationships between attachment, basic psychological needs satisfaction, and life satisfaction. - The study only examined Chinese university students and the results may not generalize to other populations.

  generalstated in cells limitationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: study used cross-sectional design did examine longitudinal relationships
• Attachment Styles and Marital Satisfaction: A Comparative Study of North Cyprus and Saudi Arabia (2026) · Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology · doi

  The relationship between attachment styles and marital satisfaction in different cultural contexts is not well understood. - Previous studies have shown inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between attachment styles and marital satisfaction.

  generalstated in cells research gapevidence 3/5
  Keywords: relationship between attachment styles marital satisfaction different cultural

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