Attachment Styles, Genders and Academic Performance among University Students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine any differences in the academic performance and gender across the four attachment styles. 200 students from a private university in Lahore participated in this study. The Relationship Questionnaire (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991) was used to assess the attachment styles of the students. A one-way between groups ANOVA indicated that the Secure attachment category reported the lowest mean CCGPA, whereas, the Dismissive-avoidant attachment category reported the highest mean CGPA. No differences in gender were found in reporting attachment styles among the students. Moreover, a decline in the academic performance was observed with an increase in the levels of education. The findings of this study provide a counter-perspective to majority of the existing literature and therefore, opens door to further research on the topic .It may also be useful in making adjustments in the education system to help the students maintain stability in their academic performance as they progress into higher levels of education.