Attachment Styles and Sexual Behaviour in Adulthood

Attachment and its transference through life and across various contexts can be seen as one of the essential keys to understanding maladaptive patterns of behaviour and helping people build healthy and long-lasting relationships. The aim of this thesis was to explore the interactions between attachment styles formed in infancy during initial interactions with a primary caregiver and behavioural patterns underlying relationships and sexual interactions in adulthood. The study (Chapter II) focuses on exploring the topic of the longitudinal manifestation of attachment styles quantitatively (questionnaire) and qualitatively (interview). The analysis of the interviews revealed four main thematic areas: "Attachment theory and clinical application in adult psychotherapy", "Attachment theory and adult romantic relationships", "Attachment theory and sexual behaviour", and "Attachment theory and globalisation and future research". The questionnaire focused on measuring the correlation between attachment styles (Revised Adult Attachment Scale) and sexual restrictiveness (Sociosexual Orientation Inventory) and tendency to engage in risky sexual behaviour (Sexual Risk Behaviours Scale). The interview raised several important points about the clinical application of attachment theory. The results of the questionnaire were inconclusive and further research with a wider population is advisable. Taking advantage of the mixed research design, the study has scientific significance in exploring the topic of attachment styles and sexual behaviour in general and using the example of the sexual behaviour of students at Karaganda Medical University in Karaganda, Kazakhstan.