The relationship between existential well-being and mood-related psychiatric burden in Indian young adults with attachment deficits: a cross-cultural validation study

BACKGROUND: Attachment and spirituality are thought to have deep evolutionary roots but are always interpreted within the framework of culture, religion and personal beliefs. While insecure attachment has been observed to be positively related with psychopathology, a positive mental health effect has often been described for spirituality. To examine the cross-cultural validation of previous research focused on Austrian young adults with Western socialization, we attempt to replicate our study examining the influence spirituality has on the connection between insecure attachment and mood-related psychiatric burden with Indian young adults. METHODS: We investigated Avoidant (AV) and Anxious (AX) Attachment (ECR-RD), Religious (RWB) and Existential (EWB) Well-Being (MI-RSWB), and mood-related psychiatric burden (Anxiety, Depression, Somatization; BSI-18) in 443 (31% female) Indian young adults (age range: 18–30 years) with a Hindu upbringing. RESULTS: Compared to young adults with a Roman Catholic upbringing in a Western socialization, Indian participants did not differ in AX and EWB but scored higher in mood-related psychiatric burden (eta(2) = .04), AV (eta(2) = .14), as well as RWB (eta(2) = .28; all p < .01). As in previous research only AX (β = .40) positively predicted mood-related psychiatric burden (ΔR(2) = .15, all p < .01), while EWB was an additional negative predictor (β = −.11, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings emphasize the universal importance of attachment and spirituality for mental health as well as the potential influence of socialization on their development. Furthermore, they underline that Existential Well-Being – including hope for a better future, forgiveness, and the experience of sense and meaning – appears to have a compensating effect on the relation between insecure attachment and impaired mental health.