Investigation of Attachment Orientation, and Affect Regulation: Use of a Novel Affect Regulation Mapping Tool in Japanese Athletes

The aim of the present study was to examine the affect regulation strategies of college athletes using the novel diagrammatic ‘distance affect regulation mapping’ (DARM) tool. In a mixed-methods approach, 96 college athletes completed and reflected on the DARM and completed questionnaires measuring attachment orientation. The correlation analyses demonstrated that athletes who had secure attachment orientations were more likely to seek proximity to someone they relied on to help soothe stress. Qualitative analysis suggested that college athletes found the DARM helpful in highlighting the effective strategies they used to cope with stress. The DARM is a promising tool for researchers to visually capture a range of strategies, and for college athletes to reflect on, improve, and further develop their affect regulation strategies.