The relationship between attachment and mental health at work: A narrative review.
Devon McConnell, Geoff Wong, Anne Ferrey
PMID 40179153WHAT IT FOUND
Secure attachment and supportive leadership are linked to lower burnout and better job satisfaction, while insecure styles correlate with distress.
However, this is a narrative review of 39 articles, not a trial, so it offers a framework for understanding workplace mental health rather than evidence for treatment.
Key findings
01A 2024 meta-analysis included in the review found that anxious and avoidant attachment were positively correlated with burnout (rc = 0.32 and rc = 0.25 respectively), while secure attachment was negatively correlated (rc = -0.30).
02Leaders who act as a 'secure base' and 'safe haven' are associated with reduced employee work distress and higher job satisfaction, with one study showing secure base leadership correlated with task and contextual performance.
03The review emphasizes that attachment styles are malleable and can be reshaped by workplace relationships, particularly with leaders, rather than being fixed personality traits.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The narrative review design introduces selection bias, as studies were chosen based on the authors' determination of relevance. The review does not disentangle attachment from other variables like job function, industry, or personality. Generalizability is limited by cultural differences in attachment behaviors and workplace dynamics. The included studies are heterogeneous (quantitative, qualitative, commentaries), making it difficult to draw strong causal conclusions about interventions. Most evidence is correlational; the review does not provide evidence that specific attachment-based treatments work for workplace mental health.
Declared interests
The work was self-funded as part of a PhD dissertation at the University of Oxford. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this review as evidence that attachment-based therapies are effective treatments for workplace mental health. The paper is a narrative synthesis of correlational studies and theoretical frameworks, not a systematic review of interventions, and the authors explicitly state that future research is needed to explore treatment options.