Attachment Dimensions and Resilience among Emerging Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Emerging adulthood is characterised by developmental transitions involving identity, autonomy, education, and interpersonal relationships. This study examined the associations between adult attachment dimensions and psychological resilience among 120 emerging adults enrolled at the University of Kerala. Adult attachment was assessed using the Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised (ECR-R) and psychological resilience was assessed using the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). Pearson product–moment correlations were used to examine the relationships between attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and resilience, while independent-samples t tests examined selected demographic differences. Attachment anxiety demonstrated a small but statistically significant negative association with psychological resilience (r (118) = −.245, p =.007), whereas attachment avoidance was not significantly associated with resilience (r (118) = −.032, p =.729). These findings indicate that greater attachment anxiety was associated with lower psychological resilience, while no corresponding direct association was detected for attachment avoidance. Given the cross-sectional design, the findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal relationships.