Disconnected Connections: How Insecure Attachment and Materialism Drive Phubbing Behaviors.

Phillip Ozimek, Esther Battenfeld, Elke Rohmann, Hans-Werner Bierhoff, Claire M Hart, Rhia Perks, Carmen Surariu

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Article in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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7 authors.

Phillip OzimekDepartment of Humanities, Vinzenz Pallotti University, 56179 Vallendar, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-7282-4568

Esther BattenfeldDepartment of Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany.

Elke RohmannDepartment of Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-7106-6144

Hans-Werner BierhoffDepartment of Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany.

Claire M HartCentre of Research on Self and Identity (CRSI), School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2175-2474

Rhia PerksCentre of Research on Self and Identity (CRSI), School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4447-158X

Carmen SurariuCentre of Research on Self and Identity (CRSI), School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study investigates the interplay between insecure attachment styles, materialism, and phubbing behaviors. Phubbing, the act of ignoring a partner in favor of smartphone use, is influenced by individual differences and societal norms. We hypothesized that attachment anxiety and avoidance would be positively associated with both enacted and perceived phubbing, and that materialism would mediate these relationships. Data were collected from 213 participants using validated scales for attachment, materialism, and phubbing. The results confirmed that attachment anxiety is positively associated with both enacted and perceived phubbing, while attachment avoidance is positively associated with perceived phubbing but not enacted phubbing. Materialism was found to mediate the relationship between attachment insecurity and phubbing behaviors. Specifically, materialism significantly mediated the positive relationships between attachment anxiety and both enacted and perceived phubbing, as well as between attachment avoidance and perceived phubbing. These findings suggest that materialistic values amplify the effects of insecure attachment on phubbing, highlighting the role of materialism as a compensatory mechanism for attachment-related insecurities. Future research should explore interventions targeting materialism and attachment anxiety to mitigate phubbing behaviors and improve relationship quality.

Indexed as

attachmentattachment anxietyattachment avoidancematerialismphubbing

Identifiers

PMID41750025

DOI10.3390/bs16020216

PMCPMC12938442

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