Understanding maladaptive daydreaming from the attachment framework: The intertwining roles of parental care, unresolved attachment, depression/anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms

Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) is an excessive absorption in vivid fantasies interfering with individuals' daily functioning, which has been associated with adverse psychological outcomes and adult attachment insecurities. However, no study to date has addressed the relationships between MD, parental care, unresolved attachment, and psychological symptoms (depression/anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder; OCD) in a sample of young adults. In this study, 1295 young adults (401 males) completed an online survey including the Parental Bonding Instrument, Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale, Adult Unresolved Attachment Questionnaire, and the DSM-5 Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure. The results evidenced the differential contribution of maternal and paternal care on individuals' psychological symptoms; whilst higher maternal care was negatively related to OCD symptoms, higher paternal care was negatively linked to depression/anxiety symptoms. A relationship between unresolved attachment, MD and psychopathological symptoms emerged; specifically, MD mediated the relationships between unresolved attachment and depression/anxiety and OCD symptoms. Overall, paternal and maternal care may have distinct roles in predicting individuals’ psychopathological outcomes. In the presence of unresolved attachment, MD may represent a dissociative response that allows individuals to deal with negative experiences through psychopathological symptoms. Understanding the specific pathways that lead to different psychopathological outcomes could have important implications in developing preventive clinical interventions.