A Study of the Relationship between Attachment Styles, Emotional Intelligence, and Test Anxiety in High School Students

The interaction between parents and children particularly the attachment of mothers to their children forms the basis for social relationships and children's mental health in the following years of life. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship between attachment styles, emotional intelligence and test anxiety. The target population of the study comprised Zanjani high school boy students in 2009-2010 academic year. Simple random sampling method was utilized and 244 subjects were chosen. The participants completed Hazan and Shaver's attachment style questionnaire (AAQ), Bradberry and Greave's emotional intelligence questionnaire, and Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI). The data were analyzed through one-way analysis of variance and Scheffe's Test. The findings of the study revealed that there is a significant difference between the emotional intelligence degree of individuals with different patterns of attachment. More specifically, students with secure pattern of attachment possess higher emotional intelligence compared to those with insecure attachment style (avoidant and anxious-ambivalent). In addition, there is a significant difference between the means of emotional intelligence components (selfmanagement, social awareness and relationship management) among students who have different patterns of attachment. Self-awareness, as a component of emotional intelligence, did not yield the same result and was an exception in this regard. There is a significant difference between the extent of test anxiety among individuals with different patterns of attachment. In fact, students with secure attachment style have less test anxiety compared to the ones who have insecure pattern of attachment.