مطالعه کیفی رابطه بین ناایمنی دلبستگی و ترس از رهاشدگی در روابط عاطفی

ترانه قاسم‌پور; بیژن صادقیان; مونا رحمانیان

Authors

Taraneh Ghasempour Department of School Counseling, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran Author
Bijan Sadeghian Department of Clinical Psychology, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran. (Corresponding Author). bijan.sadeghian.c@gmail.com
Mona Rahmanian Department of Health Psychology, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran Author

Keywords:

attachment insecurity, fear of abandonment, romantic relationships, anxious attachment, thematic analysis, qualitative research

Abstract

This qualitative study aimed to explore the relationship between attachment insecurity and fear of abandonment in adult romantic relationships. The study used a qualitative design based on thematic analysis. Participants were 22 adults living in Tehran who had experienced current or past romantic relationships characterized by insecurity, fear of rejection, emotional dependence, or concern about relational loss. Participants were recruited through purposive criterion-based sampling. Data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved; no new themes emerged after the twentieth interview, and two additional interviews were conducted to confirm thematic stability. Data were collected exclusively through semi-structured interviews lasting between 45 and 75 minutes. All interviews were audio-recorded with informed consent, transcribed verbatim, anonymized, and analyzed using NVivo software. The analytic procedure included familiarization with the data, generation of initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and producing the final thematic report. Credibility was enhanced through participant feedback, peer review, prolonged engagement with the data, and maintaining analytic memos. Four major themes were identified: “hyperactivation of the attachment system and heightened sensitivity to signs of distance,” “unstable self-worth and dependence on the partner’s validation,” “protest behaviors, controlling tendencies, and repeated reassurance seeking,” and “the cycle of closeness seeking, avoidance, and reenactment of earlier emotional wounds.” Participants described fear of abandonment not merely as a transient emotional reaction but as a pervasive relational experience shaping their interpretation of silence, delayed responses, conflict, partner autonomy, and even intimacy. The findings suggest that attachment insecurity, particularly attachment anxiety, provides an important psychological context for the emergence and persistence of abandonment fear in romantic relationships. This fear is maintained through rejection sensitivity, excessive reassurance seeking, emotion dysregulation, and threat-based interpretations of the partner’s behavior. Therapeutic work with individuals and couples should therefore focus on attachment-based emotion regulation, secure relational communication, and the development of stable self-worth.

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