Addiction and Attachment in Romantic Relationships: A Study on Young People

Background The main aim of this study is to examine the relationship between addiction in romantic relationships and attachment styles of young people. In addition, another aim of this study is to reveal whether dependency in romantic relationships and attachment styles differ according to the sociodemographic characteristics of young people. Methods A total of 456 university students participated in this descriptive, cross-sectional and correlational study. Demographic Information Form, Addiction in Romantic Relationships Scale and Three Dimensional Attachment Style Scale were used as data collection tools. Results As a result of the study, the mean dependency in romantic relationships of young people was determined as x̄ =2.03. The mean of self-commitment in romantic relationships was found to be low ( x̄ =1.79) and the mean of obsession was found to be high ( x̄ =2.29). In addition, the findings show that the majority of young people have a secure attachment style. In terms of gender, women had higher levels of anxious-ambivalent attachment. Young people in romantic relationships had higher levels of dependency, self-commitment, deprivation and obsessive-compulsive attachment in romantic relationships. It was also found that young people in romantic relationships had a secure attachment style, while young people without romantic relationships had an anxious-ambivalent attachment style.