Article Content
Abstract
Academic anxiety may be defined as a generalized form of anxiety observed in the context of school, creating tension in the student and with cognitive, affective and somatic impacts. In this context, the aim of the study was to reveal the relationships between attachment styles, self-esteem, cognitive distortions and academic anxiety in university students. The research group comprised students attending in two different universities. Three-Dimensional Attachment Styles Scale, Two-Dimensional Self-Esteem Scale, Cognitive Distortions Scale and Academic Anxiety Scale which is developed within the scope of the study, were used. As a result of the structural model, the direct effects of secure and avoidant attachment styles on academic anxiety were determined to be insignificant. The indirect effect of the secure attachment style on academic anxiety mediated by self-esteem and cognitive distortions and the indirect effect of avoidant attachment on academic anxiety mediated by self-esteem and cognitive distortions were identified to be significant. For the anxious-ambivalent attachment style, both the direct effect on academic anxiety and the indirect effect on academic anxiety mediated by self-esteem and cognitive distortions were documented to be significant. The findings are discussed and some recommendations are presented for researchers and implementors according to the results.
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Cognitive Psychology
- Counseling Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Psychoanalysis
- Psychological Assessment
Data Availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.
References
-
Acharya Pandey, R., & Chalise, H. N. (2015). Self-esteem and academic stress among nursing students. Kathmandu University Medical Journal (KUMJ), 13(52), 298–302.
-
Ağır, M. (2007). Üniversite öğrencilerinin bilişsel çarpıtma düzeyleri ile problem çözme becerileri ve umutsuzluk düzeyleri arasındaki ilişki (Yayınlanmamış doktora tezi). Marmara Üniversitesi.
-
Allen, J. P., Moore, C. W., Kuperminc, G. P., & Bell, K. (1998). Attachment and adolescent psychosocial functioning. Child Development, 69(5), 1406–1419.
-
American Psychiatric Association [APA]. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Assocation.
-
Antony, M. M., & Swinson, R. P. (2000). The shyness and social anxiety workbook: Proven, step-by-step techniques for overcoming your fear. New Harbinger.
-
Aydın, Y. D. (2018). Üniversite sınavına hazırlanan öğrencilerin sınav kaygısı, bağlanma stilleri ve annelerinin kaygı düzeyleri (Yayınlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi). Hacettepe Üniversitesi.
-
Beck, A. T. (1963). Thinking and depression: I. Idiosyncratic content and cognitive distortions. Archives of General Psychiatry, 9(4), 324–333.
-
Beck, J. S. (1995). Cognitive therapy: Basics and beyond. Guilford Press.
-
Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. International Universities Press.
-
Beck, A. T. (1979). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. A Meridian Book.
-
Berger, L. (2001). The relationship between accuracy of self-perception and attachment organization in adolescence (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Virginia.
-
Bokhorst, K., Goossens, F. A., & De Ruyter, P. A. (2001). Early detection of social anxiety: Reliability and validity of a teacher questionnaire for the identification of social anxiety in young children. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 29(8), 787–798.
-
Boyacıoğlu, N., & Küçük, L. (2011). Irrational beliefs and test anxiety in Turkish school adolescents. The Journal of School Nursing, 27(6), 447–454.
-
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Vol: 1: Attachment and loss (Vol. 1). Basic Books.
-
Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Vol: 2: Separation: anxiety and anger. Basic Books.
-
Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss: Vol: I. Attachment. Basic Books.
-
Briere, J. (2000). Cognitive distortion scales professional manual. Psychological Assessment Resources Inc.
-
Cooper, M. L., Shaver, P. R., & Collins, N. L. (1998). Attachment styles, emotion regulation, and adjustment in adolescence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(5), 1380–1397.
-
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Merrill Prentice Hall.
-
Çankaya, Ö. (1997). The relationships among test anxiety, self-esteem, and academic achievement in eleventh grade students (Unpublished master’s thesis). Middle East Tecnical University.
-
Daniel, T. L., & Shek, D. T. (1998). A longitudinal study of the relations of family factors to adolescent psychological symptoms, coping resources, school behavior, and substance abuse. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 10(3), 155–184.
-
Demir, E. Y., & Soygüt, G. (2014). Şema Terapisi ile izlenen bir olgu bağlamında panik bozukluğu ile şemalar arasındaki ilişkinin değerlendirilmesi: Olgu Sunumu. Bilişsel Davranışçı Psikoterapi Ve Araştırmalar Dergisi, 3, 109–115.
-
Dhiksha, J., & Suresh, A. (2016). A self esteem and academic anxiety of high school students with montessori and traditional method of education. Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing, 7(5), 543–545.
-
Doğan, T. (2011). İki boyutlu benlik saygısı: Kendini sevme ve öz-yeterlik ölçeğinin Türkçe uyarlaması ve psikometrik özelliklerinin incelenmesi. Eğitim Ve Bilim, 36(162), 126–137.
-
Dozier, M. L., & Lee, S. W. (1995). Discrepancies between self- and other-report of psychiatric symptomatology: Effects of dismissing attachment strategies. Development and Psychopathology, 7, 217–226.
-
Dryden, W., & Bond, F. W. (1994). Reason and emotion in psychotherapy: Albert Ellis. The British Journal of Psychiatry: THe Journal of Mental Science, 165(1), 131–135. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.165.1.131
-
Ellis, A. (2000). Rational emotive behaviour therapy. In R. N. Jones (Ed.), Six key approaches to counseling and therapy. Paston Prepress.
-
Erzen, E. (2016). Üç boyutlu bağlanma stilleri ölçeği. İnönü Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 17(3), 01–21.
-
Farhan, S., & Khan, I. (2015). Impact of stress, self esteem and gender factor on students’ academic achievement. International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications, 6(2), 143–156.
-
Feeney, J. A., & Noller, P. (1990). Attachment style as a predictor of adult romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 281–291.
-
Field, A. (2009). Discovering statistics using SPSS (3rd ed.). Sage Publications Ltd.
-
Güngör, D. (2000). Bağlanma stilleri ve zihinsel modellerin kuşaklararası aktarımında anababalık stillerinin rolü (Yayınlanmamış doktora tezi). Ankara Üniversitesi, Ankara.
-
Hancock, D. R. (2001). Effects of test anxiety and evaluative threat on students’ achievement and motivation. The Journal of Educational Research, 94(5), 284–290.
-
Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. R. (1994). Attachment as an organizational framework for research on close relationships. Psychological Inquiry, 5, 1–22.
-
Hiller, T., Steffens, M., Ritter, V., & Stangier, U. (2017). On the context dependency of implicit self-esteem in social anxiety disorder. Journal of Behavior Therapy & Experimental Psychiatry, 57, 118–125.
-
Kaur, H., & Chawla, A. (2018). A study of academic anxiety and school adjustment among adolescents. Journal of Psychiatric Social Work, 9(2), 106–110.
-
Kline, R. B. (2011). Convergence of structural equation modeling and multilevel modeling. In M. Williams (Ed.), Handbook of methodological innovation (pp. 562–589). Sage.
-
Kobak, R. R., & Sceery, A. (1988). Attachment in late adolescence: Working models, affect regulation, and representations of self and others. Child Development, 59, 135–146.
-
Lee, A., & Hankin, B. L. (2009). Insecure attachment, dysfunctional attitudes, and low self-esteem predicting prospective symptoms of depression and anxiety during adolescence. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 38(2), 219–231.
-
Little, T. D., Rhemtulla, M., Gibson, K., & Schoemann, A. (2013). Why the items versus parcels controversy needn’t be one. Psychological Methods, 18(3), 285–300.
-
Malouf, J. M., Schutte, N. S., & McClelland, T. (1992). Examination of the relationship between irrational beliefs and state anxiety. Personality and Individual Differences, 13(4), 451–456.
-
Mayya, S. S., Rao, A. K., & Ramnarayan, K. (2004). Learning approaches, learning difficulties and academic performance of undergraduate students of physiotherapy. The Internet Journal of Allied Health Science and Practice, 2(4), 1–6.
-
Mobini, S., Pearce, M., Grant, A., Mills, J., & Yeomans, M. R. (2006). The relationship between cognitive distortions, impulsivity, and sensation seeking in a non-clinical population sample. Personality and Individual Differences, 40(6), 1153–1163.
-
Morsümbül, Ü. (2011). Bağlanma ve ilişkili değişkenler. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar, 3(3), 553–570.
-
Ottens, A. J. (1991). Coping with academic anxiety. The Rosen Publishing Group.
-
Owens, M., Stevenson, J., Hadwin, J. A., & Norgate, R. (2012). Anxiety and depression in academic performance: An exploration of the mediating factors of worry and working memory. School Psychology International, 33(4), 433–449.
-
Pearson, J. L., Cowan, P. A., Cowan, C. P., & Cohn, D. A. (1993). Adult attachment and adult child-older parent relationships. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 63(4), 606–613.
-
Pett, M., Lackey, N., & Sullivan, J. (2003). Making sense of factor analysis. Sage Publications Inc.
-
Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879–891.
-
Rajput, S., & Girija, B. K. (2013). Family environment and academic anxiety of school girls from government and private schools. Indian Journal of Health and Welbeing, 4(3), 475–477.
-
Ramsdal, G., Bergvik, S., & Wynn, R. (2015). Parent–child attachment, academic performance and the process of high-school dropout: A narrative review. Attachment & Human Development, 17(5), 522–545.
-
Roberts, J. E., Gotlib, I. H., & Kassel, J. D. (1996). Adult attachment security and symptoms of depression: The mediating roles of dysfunctional attitudes and low self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 7, 310–320.
-
Sati, L., & Vig, D. (2017). Academic anxiety and self esteem of learning disabled children. Indian Journal of Health and Well-Being, 8(9), 1024–1026.
-
Schumacker, R. E., & Lomax, R. G. (2010). A beginner’s guide to structural equation modeling (3rd ed.). Routledge.
-
Sharma, R. (2011). Effects of school and home environment on creativity of children. MIER Journal of Education Student, 1(2), 187–196.
-
Shavelson, R. J., Hubner, J. J., & Stanton, G. C. (1976). Self-concept: Validation of construct interpretations. Review of Educational Research, 46, 407–441.
-
Silverstone, P. H., & Salsali, M. (2003). Low self-esteem and psychiatric patients: Part I—The relationship between low self-esteem and psychiatric diagnosis. Annals of General Hospital Psychiatry, 2(1), 1–9.
-
Smith, C. L., & Sapp, M. (1998). Psychoeducational correlates of achievement for high school senior at a private school: The relationship among locus of control, self-esteem, academic achievement, and academic self-esteem. High School Journal, 81(3), 161–167.
-
Sümer, N., & Anafarta-Şendağ, M. (2009). Orta çocukluk döneminde ebeveynlere bağlanma, benlik algısı ve kaygı. Türk Psikoloji Dergisi, 24(63), 86–101.
-
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). Pearson Education Limited.
-
Tafarodi, R. W., & Swann, W. B. (2001). Two dimensional self-esteem: Theory and measurement. Personality and Individual Differences, 31, 653–673.
-
Taylor, S. E., Peplau, L. A., & Sears, D. O. (2005). Social psychology (12th ed.). Prentice-Hall Inc.
-
Vitasari, P., Wahab, M. N. A., Othman, A., Herawan, T., & Sinnadurai, S. K. (2010). The relationship between study anxiety and academic performance among engineering students. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 8, 490–497.
-
Warren, S. L., Huston, L., Egeland, B., & Sroufe, L. A. (1997). Child and adolescent anxiety disorders and early attachment. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36(5), 637–644.
-
Weeks, M., Coplan, R. J., & Kingsbury, A. (2009). The correlates and consequences of early appearing social anxiety in young children. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 23(7), 965–972.
-
Wilkinson, R. B. (2004). The role of parental and peer attachment in the psychological health and self-esteem of adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33, 479–493.
-
Wolf, E. J., Harrington, K. M., Clark, S. L., & Miller, M. W. (2013). Sample size requirements for structural equation models an evaluation of power, bias, and solution propriety. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 73(6), 913–934.
-
Wu, C. H., & Lin, Y. C. (2005). The influence of adult attachment styles on the sense of trust to cyber-others and the cyber self-certainty (in Chinese). Journal of Cyber Culture and Information Society, 9, 325–342.
-
Young, J. E., Klosko, J. S., & Weishaar, M. E. (2003). Schema therapy: A practitioner’s guide. The Guilford Press.
-
Yurica, C. L., & DiTomasso, R. A. (2005). Cognitive distortions. In A. F. Freeman, S. H. Felgoise, A. M. Nezu, C. M. Nezu, & M. A. Reinecke (Eds.), Encyclopedia of cognitive behavior therapy (pp. 117–122).
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
About this article
Cite this article
Bülbül, K., Odaci, H. Relationships Between Attachment Styles, Self Esteem, Cognitive Distortions and Academic Anxiety of University Students: Trials of Alternative Models. J Rat-Emo Cognitive-Behav Ther 43, 36 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-025-00596-z
- Published
- DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-025-00596-z
Keywords
- Academic anxiety
- Attachment styles
- Self esteem
- Cognitive distortions
- Structural equation modeling