Abstract:
Background: Literature suggests that alcohol abuse is widespread among university
students globally, including in South Africa. While extensive research indicates the
impact of socio-economic factors on alcohol abuse, there is lack of research to show
the impact of interpersonal attachments on alcohol abuse. Previous research has
indicated that attachment styles can predict problematic alcohol use; however, few
studies have examined this relationship among university students. Therefore, the
principal objective of this study was to explore the relationship between alcohol abuse
and attachment styles among undergraduate psychology students at the University of
Limpopo, thus filling this gap.
Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was undertaken to explore the potential
relationship between alcohol abuse and attachment styles among students. A
convenience sample of 272 students completed self-report measures of alcohol (the
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and attachment (the Experience in Close
Relationships-Revised). Descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation rank test, and
Mann-Whitney U test analyses were conducted. Results: A statistical analysis of the findings of the study showed that anxious attachment was significantly and positively correlated to higher alcohol use levels (p = 0.006), whereas avoidant attachment was significantly and negatively correlated to higher alcohol use levels. Furthermore, the findings of the study revealed that male students reported higher rates of alcohol use, and thus expressed both anxiousattachment and avoidant attachment than female students.
Conclusion: This study recommended that future research should use longitudinal designs to offer extensive insights into the relationship between alcohol abuse and
attachment styles.
