This study aimed to show a relationship between childhood attachment, adult attachment, and adult self-soothing skills. This research explored attachment in adult relationships including partners, peers, siblings, neighbors, friends, etc. This study also examined the relationship between childhood attachment and self-soothing skills in adulthood, which has not been well studied in the past.

The study consisted of 63 participants, 14 males and 37 females. The mean age was 37 years and 93% were heterosexual. Forty-one percent of the sample had a graduate degree. Sixty-eight percent was Caucasian.

The study found a significant correlation between secure attachment to a parent during childhood and secure attachment in adulthood, and between insecure attachment to a parent in childhood and insecure attachments in adult relationships. The study did not find a relationship between secure attachment with mother during childhood and self-soothing skills. There was a relationship between secure attachment to father in childhood and decreased use of negative self-soothing skills: sexual and aggressive fantasies and behaviors. Further, there was a relationship between adult secure attachment and infrequent use of these negative self-soothing skills: oral passivity/somatization and sexual and aggressive behaviors. Finally, there was a relationship between insecure anxious adult attachment and decreased use of the negative self-soothing skills: oral passivity/somatization and sexual and aggressive behaviors.

The study's findings are consistent with other attachment studies and may provide insight for individuals who struggle with forming healthy relationships. Attachment research impacts clinicians involved with early childhood development, specifically helping parents facilitate secure attachment with children at very young ages. Programs can be developed to assist parents in learning how to attach with young children. Additionally, parenting programs would benefit from incorporating self-soothing skills into their programs, so parents will begin to teach soothing techniques to young children. Children who have healthy attachments to a parent and learn better self-soothing may grow to become adults who can self-soothe and who may experience less depression, anxiety, and prolonged negative emotions.