Attachment Security as a Buffer: Divergent Mental Health Outcomes of Lying Flat Among Chinese Youth

Objective This study aims to investigate how attachment styles moderate the relationship between “lying flat” ( tangping ) behavior and depressive symptoms, while examining the mediating role of presence of meaning in life, as measured by the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ-P). Grounded in attachment theory and stress-coping paradigms, we hypothesize that “lying flat” impacts depressive levels through differentiated pathways contingent upon an individual’ s attachment style. Methods A convenience sample of 997 university freshmen from Jiangsu Province was recruited (479 males, 518 females; M _age = 18.5 ± 0.8 years). Participants were categorized into four attachment archetypes—secure (36.1%), preoccupied (38.9%), fearful (18.1%), and dismissing (6.9%)—using the Adult Attachment Scale (AAS). Lying flat tendencies were measured via a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), while perceived meaning and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), respectively. Hypotheses were tested using non-parametric tests and multi-group Bootstrap mediation analysis (PROCESS Model 59). Results For securely attached individuals, “lying flat” influenced depression through a full mediation pathway ( a×b  = 0.607, 95% CI [0.075,0.176]), where lying flat eroded presence of meaning, thereby exacerbating depression. The preoccupied group exhibited partial mediation ( a×b  = 0.618, accounting for 46.1% of the total effect). For the fearful group, the mediation effect was non-significant ( a×b  = 0.153), with depression primarily driven by direct pathways. The dismissing group presented a unique indirect-effect-only pattern ( a×b  = 0.668, 95% CI [0.018, 0.253]). Cross-group comparisons revealed that the mediation effect for the fearful group was significantly lower than that of the other three attachment styles ( p < .001) and, in fact, was statistically non-significant (with a 95% CI including zero). Conclusions Attachment styles significantly moderate the mechanisms by which “lying flat” impacts depression. While the buffering role of presence of meaning is prominent in secure individuals, fearful individuals are more susceptible to direct emotional impacts. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for precision-based psychological interventions tailored to youth with varying attachment styles.