Attachment Representations, emotion regulation Difficulties and behavioral addiction Risk: Testing a mediation model in undergraduate students

Behavioral addictions are increasingly common among adolescents and young adults, especially in the context of digital and compulsive behaviors. This study examined whether emotion dysregulation mediates the relationship between insecure attachment representations and behavioral addiction risk. A total of 418 undergraduate students (59.1 % female; M = 20.00, SD = 1.51; age range = 18–22 years) completed self-report measures on attachment style, emotion regulation, and behavioral addiction. Multiple regressions and mediation analyses were conducted. Results indicated that insecure attachment—particularly Preoccupation with Relationships and Need for Approval—was linked to greater behavioral addiction risk. This association was partly explained by emotion dysregulation, suggesting that difficulties in managing emotions heighten the impact of insecure attachment on maladaptive behaviors. These findings highlight the contribution of early relational vulnerabilities and emotion dysregulation deficits to behavioral addiction risk in emerging adulthood and suggest emotion regulation as a key target for prevention.