The Development of the Attachment Defenses Questionnaire (ADQ-50): A Preliminary Examination of Reliability, Validity, and Factor Structure

Figures & data

Table 1. Construct definitions for the preliminary ADQ.

Emotional Amplification	Emotional amplification, a defense mechanism linked to an overactive attachment system, involves exaggerating emotional signals. It serves as both a communication tool to express needs and a method to seek support, addressing unmet attachment needs and eliciting the caregiving response that may have been lacking at times.
Chronic Proximity Seeking	Chronic proximity seeking manifests as an obsessive urge for interpersonal contact and meaningful connection. These hyperactive behaviors simulate control and proactive steps toward intimacy. Simultaneously, these actions ease distress linked to perceived separation or emotional vulnerability from past experiences.
Defensive Reenactment	Reenactment, stemming from attachment insecurity, unconsciously prompts the compulsion to rewrite personal history for a more favorable outcome. It involves repeating past maladaptive behaviors in an attempt to gain a sense of mastery.
Hypervigilance	Hypervigilance with attachment insecurity involves heightened awareness of interpersonal cues, where individuals anticipate and respond to perceived inadequacies in others’ interest, availability, or responsiveness. This hyperactive defense mechanism helps in coping with situations that trigger attachment-related fears.
Rumination	Rumination involves repetitive thoughts on distressing emotions, often driven by perfectionism as a hyperactive defense mechanism. It serves to occupy anxiety, analyze, and prevent future mistakes. In attachment insecurity, relationship-focused rumination may create a false sense of closeness with someone actively on one’s mind.
Compulsive caregiving	Compulsive caregiving is an intense focus on others’ well-being, driven by a hyperactive attachment pattern. It serves as a defense mechanism to fulfill unmet needs for closeness, acceptance, and inclusion. This may result from past inadequate caregiving or external pressures, like caring for a sick, anxious, or hypochondriac parent..
Consumption	Consumption, an interpersonal dependency defense, drains others’ energy due to weak self-other boundaries, tied to projective identification and challenges in self-other differentiation. It conveys a longing for empathy, expressing unmet attachment needs, and manifests as cathartic hyperactive communication.
Splitting	Splitting can be understood as cognitive disconnection in the context of intolerable conflicting emotions. The process involves the emergence of polarized views of self and others. As a defense, splitting allows individuals to cope with ambivalence
Protest	Protest behaviors in the context of attachment-related defensive processes are directed toward resisting separation, eliciting a reaction, and expressing retributive anger. Such hyperactive conduct may encompass tantrums, attention-seeking strategies, or feigned reaction-seeking threats.
Compulsive Self-Reliance	Compulsive self-reliance, marked by a commitment to independent behavior and reluctance to accept help perceived as threatening or unfamiliar serves as a deactivating defense. It maintains a suppressed attachment system, rooted in pervasive distrust, enabling individuals to establish self-direction and control. This behavior emerges from the necessity to self-parent or repeatedly navigate circumstances demanding self-reliance.
Self-interest	Self-interest functions as a deactivating defense mechanism characterized by detachment and the devaluation of others within the context of attachment avoidance. Individuals with attachment avoidance are primarily driven by the motivation to protect themselves. This self-interested strategy proves advantageous during times of danger, enabling a swift response to perceived threats and the assertion of control over the surrounding environment.
Distancing	Distancing functions as a deactivating defense mechanism, entailing the control of personal space and sensitivity to physical and emotional boundaries. Rooted in early attachment experiences, it arises from adverse outcomes in seeking caregiver support. This mechanism preserves individual identity by restricting closeness with others, acting as a shield against confronting beliefs of rejection.
Emotional Suppression	Emotional suppression, as an attachment-related defense mechanism is a strategy to disconnect from feelings associated with attachment disappointment. This behavior acts as a protective measure, serving as an avoidance tactic to guard against perceived threats, rejection, or emotional pain.
Defensive exclusion	Exclusion, an attachment defense, blocks awareness of ideas activating the attachment system. It shields against vulnerability and beliefs of unworthiness and by keeping uncomfortable thoughts out of consciousness, affecting memory, perception and attention.
Dismissal of Attachment Needs	The dismissal of attachment needs functions as a denial mechanism, shielding oneself from acknowledging unfulfilled early psychological needs for connection and guarding against feelings of rejection through cognitive processes such as minimization and rationalization.
Compensatory self-inflation	Compensatory self-inflation, a psychological defense, involves self-image enhancement as a protective measure against threats to self-esteem. Personal deficiencies are denied. It is proposed to correlate with vulnerable narcissism and is hypothesized to be associated with attachment avoidance.

Table 2. EFA Study 2 (N = 726) results with the 10-factor solution.

	M (SD)		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Factor 1. Chronic Proximity Seeking (α = .78)	2.87 (1.60)	I fall crazy-in-love so fast that I lose touch with reality.	.63	−0.02	.03	.12	.01	.03	.11	−0.11	.04	−0.20
	4.06 (1.50)	I can get caught up in fantasies about relationship scenarios.	.54	.07	−0.06	−0.25	−0.07	.12	.04	.04	.04	.17
	3.26 (1.58)	I can be obsessive during the pursuit of a relationship.	.51	−0.05	−0.02	.03	−0.03	−0.02	.05	−0.19	.16	−0.01
	3.80 (1.42)	I am prone to idealization	.49	.07	.02	−0.12	−0.05	.01	.00	.01	.12	.14
	3.02 (1.46)	I seem to return to the same type of relationship over and over again.	.32	.15	.05	−0.06	−0.07	−0.05	−0.06	−0.26	.08	−0.03
Factor 2. Distancing (α = .79)	2.74 (1.31)	I prefer to be quite separate from partners.	−0.04	.68	−0.02	.08	−0.02	−0.06	.02	−0.05	.04	−0.01
	3.37 (1.58)	I tend to be the “distancer” in my relationships in that I may be emotionally unavailable or seek to be alone.	−0.01	.60	.02	−0.05	−0.03	.00	.07	−0.04	−0.04	.18
	2.58 (1.39)	When I hear the word love, I withdraw.	.12	.51	.00	.07	−0.02	−0.17	.10	−0.06	.06	.04
	3.75 (1.51)	I seem to need more physical personal space than others seem to.	.00	.48	−0.06	−0.01	−0.16	.10	.09	.00	−0.10	.06
	3.49 (1.50)	I can feel “crowded” or “suffocated” when others try to get close.	.08	.48	.07	−0.01	−0.15	−0.02	.05	−0.06	−0.14	−0.01
Factor 3. Compulsive-caregiving (α = .74)	3.97 (1.37)	I tend to please others above taking care of myself.	−0.05	.02	.74	−0.01	−0.02	−0.06	.07	−0.03	.07	.01
	3.92 (1.37)	I have a deeply ingrained tendency to place others ahead of myself.	−0.02	.09	.63	.06	−0.02	.13	.08	.07	.06	.01
	3.99 (1.51)	I find it hard to say no to others even when things don’t suit me.	.03	.17	.56	−0.11	.02	−0.01	−0.02	−0.05	.06	.04
	4.21 (1.36)	I don’t go out of my way to please others. R	−0.03	.11	−0.53	.15	−0.05	.00	.09	.03	.01	.04
	4.01 (1.32)	I would risk my life to help others.	.02	−0.15	.43	.08	−0.08	.07	.04	.00	−0.06	.08
Factor 4. Rumination (α = .66)	3.85 (1.42)	Generally, it is fairly easy for me to put unwanted thoughts out of my mind. R	−0.03	−0.03	−0.10	.53	.03	.02	−0.06	−0.06	−0.04	.18
	4.12 (1.50)	I overthink relationship worries.	.17	−0.03	.11	−0.48	−0.06	.10	.12	−0.10	.03	.14
	4.15 (1.46)	I can get stuck in my head thinking about how relationship problems might play out.	.21	.04	.06	−0.42	−0.07	.10	.06	−0.07	.08	.21
	4.10 (1.58)	The idea that my partner could leave me unexpectedly doesn’t cross my mind. R	.00	.15	−0.06	.40	.07	.02	−0.08	.14	.00	−0.05
	3.46 (1.46)	I am pretty good at “switching off” from hard feelings. R	.00	−0.03	.00	.40	−0.11	−0.09	.06	−0.07	−0.12	.39
Factor 5. Parentification (α = .81)	3.44 (1.63)	I have had to do more self-parenting than most others have.	.02	.00	.01	.05	−0.80	.06	−0.10	.00	.04	−0.06
	3.73 (1.60)	My needs have been misread by my parent more often than not.	.02	.07	.00	−0.17	−0.62	.01	.04	.07	.12	.02
	3.47 (1.52)	I learned early in life to bury the need to be taken care of.	−0.02	.11	.12	.10	−0.58	−0.04	.09	.01	−0.07	.10
	3.79 (1.50)	I have been hardened by the way I was raised.	−0.03	.01	−0.10	.01	−0.58	.07	.02	−0.10	−0.06	.15
	2.89 (1.54)	I have negative expectations of others because of my parents.	.05	.05	.04	−0.09	−0.57	−0.11	.08	−0.05	.08	−0.08
Factor 6. Disengagement (α = .68)	2.70 (1.27)	I am quite in touch with my feelings. R	−0.05	−0.07	−0.06	−0.03	−0.03	.60	.00	−0.03	−0.01	−0.12
	2.67 (1.31)	I easily recall the emotional part of memories. R	.04	.04	−0.01	−0.04	.00	.59	.03	−0.01	.01	.00
	2.40 (1.25)	I have an abundance of empathy. R	−0.02	.03	.29	.00	−0.03	.50	−0.08	−0.02	−0.02	.01
	2.60 (1.25)	I tend to form strong emotional connections with people, places, and things. R	.15	−0.14	.17	.03	−0.05	.39	.06	.05	.13	.06
	3.24 (1.38)	I am generally quick to experience a deep sense of connection with others. R	.14	−0.12	.09	.22	.05	.35	.10	−0.10	.15	−0.02
Factor 7. Ambivalent Splitting (α = .73)	3.09 (1.52)	I see things in extremes. Things are either all-good or all-bad.	−0.05	−0.05	−0.01	−0.06	−0.02	.01	.76	−0.13	.02	−0.04
	3.21 (1.45)	My focus is totally positive or totally negative.	−0.01	.10	−0.06	.06	.01	.07	.69	.00	.05	.03
	3.68 (1.48)	My efforts are either a success or they are a failure. I find it hard to see a middle ground.	.03	.05	.08	−0.13	−0.05	−0.02	.57	.09	.02	.04
	2.92 (1.54)	I frequently switch from seeing someone/ something as entirely good to entirely bad, e.g., “evil” or “perfect.”	.21	.07	.03	.06	.01	−0.09	.44	−0.20	.01	−0.08
	3.87 (1.46)	I am constantly on guard, comparing myself and my status to others.	.10	.06	.16	−0.28	.02	−0.05	.32	.02	.09	.18
Factor 8. Defensive Protest (α = .79)	2.62 (1.59)	I have picked fights to try to stop or stall someone I care about from leaving.	.02	−0.02	.10	.02	−0.12	−0.02	−0.01	−0.68	.08	−0.07
	2.46 (1.66)	I have made threats to break up, which I did not really mean.	−0.03	.04	−0.05	.03	−0.03	.05	.08	−0.59	.08	−0.08
	2.74 (1.59)	It is quite like me to try to make someone feel jealous because I am not getting enough attention from them.	.15	.00	.00	.01	−0.03	−0.03	.01	−0.58	.07	.06
	2.88 (1.70)	I go through cycles of I love you - I hate you - don’t leave me.	.18	.01	.02	−0.02	−0.06	−0.03	.20	−0.51	−0.08	−0.05
	3.61 (1.61)	If I was mad with my partner, I might purposely ignore phone calls from them as a protest.	−0.02	.15	−0.02	−0.11	.11	.10	.03	−0.50	−0.03	.22
Factor 9. Consumption (α = .76)	3.01 (1.50)	I have a tendency to spill my emotional issues onto others.	.09	.00	.00	−0.01	−0.05	.09	.01	−0.11	.58	−0.02
	3.58 (1.56)	I have a habit of oversharing.	.06	−0.04	.05	−0.01	−0.09	.09	.06	.05	.56	.01
	3.21 (1.54)	Sometimes, I lean too heavily on others.	.09	−0.14	.03	−0.07	.09	−0.05	.08	−0.16	.53	.09
	2.62 (1.27)	Others think I am draining.	−0.01	.08	.05	−0.03	−0.17	−0.24	.18	−0.06	.38	−0.07
	3.79 (1.35)	I have a tendency to “latch onto” others I feel a connection toward.	.32	−0.10	.09	−0.05	.00	.04	.01	−0.07	.36	.15
Factor 10. Vulnerability Suppression (α = .74)	3.74 (1.48)	I tend to block thoughts that make me feel too much.	−0.04	.16	.00	.02	−0.07	−0.01	.04	−0.03	.17	.56
	3.98 (1.35)	If I remember something unpleasant, I push it away from my mind.	−0.04	.04	.02	.06	.00	.02	−0.03	−0.03	.08	.53
	3.88 (1.41)	I usually shove my emotions down when I can.	.13	.19	.15	.06	−0.03	−0.12	.10	.05	−0.10	.50
	4.02 (1.43)	I prefer to disguise vulnerability.	.08	.09	.05	−0.07	−0.08	−0.14	.05	−0.01	−0.11	.49
	4.36 (1.40)	I would hate for others to see me as fragile.	.06	−0.06	.06	−0.05	−0.09	−0.03	.07	.01	−0.09	.46

108 items reduced to 50. The bold values highlight significant loadings indicating factor patterns.

Table 3. Descriptive statistics and gender differences in attachment and defenses.

	Mean (SD)
	Overall (n = 726)	Male (n = 229)	Female (n = 469)	t	d
ECR: Attachment
Avoidance	3.65 (1.06)	3.63 (0.98)	3.64 (1.10)	−0.74	−0.01
Anxiety	4.15 (1.19)	3.87 (1.08)	4.27 (1.21)	−4.40**	−0.34
ADQ: Defense Mechanism
Chronic Proximity-Seeking	17.01 (5.50)	16.30 (4.86)	17.25 (5.65)	−2.31*	−0.18
Distancing	15.94 (5.37)	15.67 (5.06)	16.00 (5.51)	−0.77	−0.06
Compulsive-caregiving	20.10 (4.85)	18.68 (4.08)	20.65 (5.03)	−5.56**	−0.42
Rumination	19.67 (4.82)	17.79 (4.24)	20.47 (4.76)	−7.52**	−0.58
Parentification	17.32 (5.86)	16.46 (5.01)	17.48 (6.22)	−2.32*	−0.17
Ambivalent-Splitting	16.77 (5.50)	16.05 (4.82)	16.95 (5.71)	−2.18*	−0.17
Defensive-Protest	14.31 (6.00)	13.42 (5.10)	14.76 (6.26)	−3.02**	−0.23
Consumption	16.21 (5.26)	15.40 (4.63)	16.51(5.43)	−2.81**	−0.21
Vulnerable-Suppression	19.97 (4.96)	19.90 (4.50)	19.91(5.10)	−0.05	.00
Disengagement	13.61 (4.27)	14.66 (4.33)	13.07 (4.09)	4.75**	.38

d is Cohen’s d for effect size.

*p < .05; **p < .01.

df = 724.

Table 4. Correlations between attachment styles and the factors derived from Study 2.

	Attachment anxiety		Attachment avoidance
	r	p	r	p
Attachment anxiety	1		.08	.03
Attachment avoidance	.08	.03	1
Defense Mechanisms
Chronic Proximity Seeking	.68	.00	.12	.00
Consumption	.68	.01	−0.10	.00
Compulsive-caregiving	.40	.00	.03	.48
Rumination	.56	.00	.08	.04
Distancing	.09	.01	.67	.00
Disengagement	−0.27	.00	.38	.00
Vulnerability Suppression	.26	.00	.48	.00
Parentification	.32	.00	.41	.00
Ambivalent Splitting	.57	.00	.34	.00
Defensive Protest	.58	.00	.18	.00

Significance is at level p < .01.

df = 724.

Table 5. Linear regression analyses with attachment dimensions as predictors (IVS) of attachment defenses controlling for gender.

	Attachment avoidance					Attachment anxiety					Gender
Dependent Variable	B	SE B	β	t	p	B	SE B	β	t	p	B	SE B	β	t	p	R Square
ADQ 10 factors
Chronic Proximity   Seeking	.34	.14	.07	2.4	.02	3.09	.13	.68	23.93	.00	−0.28	.32	−0.02	−0.86	.39	.46
Distancing	3.33	.14	.66	23.25	.00	.20	.13	.04	1.51	.13	.23	.33	.02	.72	.47	.44
Compulsive-caregiving	−0.06	.16	−0.01	−0.36	.72	1.56	.14	.38	11.01	.00	1.35	.36	.13	3.78	.00	.18
Rumination	.08	.14	.02	.61	.54	2.17	.12	.54	17.41	.00	1.81	.31	.18	5.80	.00	.36
Parentification	2.12	.18	.38	11.65	.00	1.37	.17	.28	8.29	.00	.46	.42	.04	1.10	.27	.25
Disengagement	1.59	.13	.40	12.13	.00	−1.04	.12	−0.29	−0.8.75	.00	−1.19	.30	−0.13	−3.98	.00	.25
Defensive Protest	.76	.17	.14	4.49	.00	2.86	.15	.57	18.57	.00	.19	.39	.02	.49	.62	.36
Consumption	−0.81	.13	−0.17	−6.03	.00	3.02	.12	.69	24.73	.00	−0.09	.31	−0.01	−0.29	.77	.48
Vulnerable Suppression	2.21	.15	.48	14.88	.00	.88	.13	.21	6.51	.00	−0.35	.34	−0.03	−1.02	.31	.29
Ambivalent Splitting	1.50	.15	.29	10.12	.00	2.55	.13	.56	18.95	.00	−0.13	.34	−0.01	−0.38	.71	.42

Note. The Beta values represent how strongly each of the attachment styles is related to the corresponding defense.

Significance is at level p < .01.