Borderline personality mediates the link between attachment insecurities and subjective working memory deficits: The role of pre‐emptive and post‐emptive strategies

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cris.lastimport.scopus2026-02-01T04:14:48Z
dc.abstract.enIndividuals with attachment insecurities, particularly attachment anxiety, often report subjective working memory deficits (SWMD). However, the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship remain poorly understood. In this project, we propose that borderline personality disorder (BPD) features help explain this link. We tested this model across three studies, including one preregistered study, conducted with Russian, Turkish, and Polish samples. In Study 1, both attachment anxiety and avoidance predicted SWMD, with the former effect being stronger than the latter. The indirect effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance on SWMD via BPD were significant, with the former effect being stronger as the latter. Study 2 introduced gaze anxiety as an additional mediator, revealing that attachment avoidance had stronger indirect effects via gaze anxiety, a potential pre-emptive strategy, while attachment anxiety's effect was stronger via BPD, a potential post-emptive pathway. In preregistered Study 3, reflective functioning mediated the associations between attachment insecurities and SWMD, contrary to our moderation hypothesis. Importantly, relationships between attachment anxiety and SWMD remained robust after controlling for personality traits and personality disorders. Results are consistent with the role of different regulatory strategies in explaining how attachment insecurities contribute to subjective cognitive difficulties.
dc.affiliationInstitute of Psychology
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii we Wrocławiu
dc.affiliationInstytut Psychologii
dc.contributor.authorEcer, Emrullah
dc.contributor.authorGąsiorowska, Agata
dc.date.access2027-01-20
dc.date.accessioned2026-01-30T07:33:20Z
dc.date.available2026-01-30T07:33:20Z
dc.date.created2026-01-08
dc.date.issued2026
dc.description.abstract<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Individuals with attachment insecurities, particularly attachment anxiety, often report subjective working memory deficits (SWMD). However, the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship remain poorly understood. In this project, we propose that borderline personality disorder (BPD) features help explain this link. We tested this model across three studies, including one preregistered study, conducted with Russian, Turkish, and Polish samples. In Study 1, both attachment anxiety and avoidance predicted SWMD, with the former effect being stronger than the latter. The indirect effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance on SWMD via BPD were significant, with the former effect being stronger as the latter. Study 2 introduced gaze anxiety as an additional mediator, revealing that attachment avoidance had stronger indirect effects via gaze anxiety, a potential pre‐emptive strategy, while attachment anxiety's effect was stronger via BPD, a potential post‐emptive pathway. In preregistered Study 3, reflective functioning mediated the associations between attachment insecurities and SWMD, contrary to our moderation hypothesis. Importantly, relationships between attachment anxiety and SWMD remained robust after controlling for personality traits and personality disorders. Results are consistent with the role of different regulatory strategies in explaining how attachment insecurities contribute to subjective cognitive difficulties.</jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimeafter_publication
dc.description.physical1-22
dc.description.sdgGoodHealthAndWellBeing
dc.description.versionfinal_author
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/bjop.70060
dc.identifier.eissn2044-8295
dc.identifier.issn0007-1269
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/2163
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjop.70060?af=R
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsEmbargo
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOPEN_REPOSITORY
dc.subject.enattachment anxiety
dc.subject.enattachment avoidance
dc.subject.enborderline personality symptoms
dc.subject.enpersonality traits
dc.subject.ensubjective working memory deficits
dc.swps.sciencecloudnosend
dc.titleBorderline personality mediates the link between attachment insecurities and subjective working memory deficits: The role of pre‐emptive and post‐emptive strategies
dc.title.journalBritish Journal of Psychology
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle