Angst voor terrorisme: Een studie naar gehechtheid, angstperceptie, risicoperceptie en sekse

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between attachment and anxiety of terrorism, to see if this relationship is moderated by gender and perceived risk and to see if there are gender differences in anxiety and perceived risk rates. Method: 128 Dutch young adults between 18 and 25 years completed a questionnaire measuring attachment, anxiety and perceived risk. Results: There is no main effect of attachment on anxiety rates and attachment is no predictor for anxiety. Women report higher levels of anxiety and perceived risk compared to men. Perceived risk and gender are only moderators in the relationship between the preoccupied attachment style and anxiety. Conclusion: Anxiety of terrorism is not predicted by attachment. Women do report higher levels of anxiety and perceived risk compared to men. Gender and perceived risk are moderators in the relationship between the preoccupied attachment style and anxiety, but not in the relationships between the other attachment styles and anxiety. This can be explained because preoccupied young adults, are more fearful of new situations. This fear may interact with the vulnerability of women and with high perceived risk rates, which causes even higher anxiety rates.