The relationship between anger and depression in a clinical sample of young men: the role of insecure attachment

Background: Even though the relevance of insecure attachment in the etiology of dysfunctional anger is indicated by a number of findings, few studies have examined the relationship between anger and depression from the perspective of attachment theory. Methods: Self-reported measures of trait anger, depression, and adult attachment style were simultaneously administered to 87 young men with clinically significant depressive symptoms. Results: Higher levels of trait anger were associated with an insecure style of attachment. Such an association remained significant after controlling for the severity of depressive symptoms. In a multiple regression model, both a measure of anxious attachment and a measure of avoidant attachment emerged as independent predictors of trait anger. Limitations: The study was cross-sectional and the sample did not include women. Conclusions: Insecure attachment is a useful predictor of anger experience among patients with depressive symptoms.