Mindfulness, Loving-Kindness, and Compassion-Based Meditation Interventions and Adult Attachment Orientations: A Systematic Map.

A systematic map of experimental studies found that multi-session meditation interventions, particularly mindfulness and loving-kindness, may help people with higher attachment anxiety and, to a lesser extent, attachment avoidance experience better personal and relational outcomes. The review identified only five studies from Western cultures, four examining how meditation buffers the effects of attachment insecurity and one testing whether it enhances attachment security. Evidence primarily showed benefits for those with higher attachment anxiety, with some indications for those with higher avoidance. The authors conclude that early results are promising but that much more research is needed.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Meditation interventions have important benefits, including potentially helping those with higher attachment anxiety and avoidance enjoy better personal and relational growth. This preregistered and reproducible systematic map sought to identify the extent and scope of experimental evidence investigating the role of mindfulness, loving-kindness, and compassion-based multi-session meditation interventions in (a) moderating the effects of attachment orientations on outcomes over time and/or (b) changing attachment orientations over time. We conducted a systematic map, as the literature on meditation interventions and attachment is nascent. We searched 5 databases, screening 725 studies. We extracted data from four journal articles and one dissertation (five studies in total) which met our inclusion criteria. Four studies examined the effects of meditation interventions on buffering attachment insecurity and one examined attachment security enhancement. All five studies included a mindfulness meditation intervention, and one included a loving-kindness meditation intervention. All studies were conducted in Western cultures. Studies primarily found evidence for interventions benefitting those with higher attachment anxiety, although some evidence emerged for higher attachment avoidance. Our systematic map highlights a critical need for further application of meditation interventions in an attachment and personal growth context, given the promising nature of early work in this area.