Attachment based priming reduces anxiety during the exam period in female university students when adjusting for baseline perceived stress and anxiety

Abstract Attachment security priming has shown promise in reducing anxiety in controlled experiments, yet its application and effectiveness in real-world educational settings remain underexplored. This study investigated whether a brief, single-session attachment-based priming intervention could reduce anxiety levels in university students, while accounting for baseline anxiety and perceived stress. Seventy female students participated in a quasi-experimental design, with participants self-selecting into either an experimental or a control group. The intervention involved a guided recall exercise encouraging students to reflect on a personal memory of receiving support and acceptance from a peer or teacher, aiming to activate internal representations of attachment security. Anxiety was measured using the GAD-7 scale at three time points: one month before the intervention, two weeks after, and three months after. Baseline perceived stress was also measured using the PSS-4. ANCOVA analyses revealed that, controlling for baseline anxiety and stress, the experimental group reported significantly lower anxiety than the control group two weeks post-intervention (p = .031), with a medium effect size (d = − 0.622). Baseline anxiety was a consistent predictor of anxiety across timepoints, while baseline perceived stress predicted post-intervention anxiety but not long-term outcomes. By the three-month follow-up, the intervention effect had diminished, with no significant difference between groups (p = .631). Attachment priming may temporarily buffer students against stress-related anxiety during high-pressure periods such as exams. Although the effects were not sustained over time, the intervention's simplicity and low cost make it a promising tool for short-term mental health support in academic contexts.