Attachment Insecurities

Updated: 28 October 2026 | English questionnaire

What this questionnaire explores

Explore two dimensions of adult romantic attachment: concerns about rejection or availability, and discomfort with closeness or depending on a partner. This is the original 36-item ECR, not the ECR-R.

36 statements. Responses from 1 to 7. Answer all statements to calculate the displayed scores. No diagnostic cutoff or severity band is applied.

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Scoring and interpretation

The two averages describe attachment-related anxiety and avoidance. Higher values indicate more of the relevant dimension. They are not fixed personality labels, diagnoses, or instructions about a relationship. No single combined attachment score is calculated.

Reverse-scored items in this version: 3, 15, 19, 22, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35. Each is transformed as 8 minus the response before calculating averages.

Scores are item averages on the response scale. The dimensions are reported separately. Higher scores are not a diagnosis. Repeated testing for certainty can become another form of checking.

Source: Brennan, Clark and Shaver (1998). Research and measure reference. Item wording and numbering follow the English form on ROCD.net. For help putting the result in context, read about ROCD assessment and treatment and the ROCD model.

Original questionnaire and source scoring notes

View the original questionnaire and source notes

Download Attachment insecurities (ECR, 36 items) in English (Word DOCX)

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  Experience of Close Relationship Scale (ECR; Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998)

Instructions: the following statements concern how you feel in romantic relationships. We are interested in how you generally experience relationships, not just in what is happening in a current relationship. Respond to each statement by indicating how much you agree or disagree with it. Write the number in the space provided using the following scale:

1

Disagree

strongly

2

3

4

Neutral/

mixed

5

6

7

Agree strongly

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1

I prefer not to show a partner how I feel deep down.

___

2

I worry about being abandoned.

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3

I am very comfortable being close to romantic partners.

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4

I worry a lot about my relationships.

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5

Just when my partner starts to get close to me I find myself pulling away.

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6

I worry that romantic partners won’t care about me as much as I care about them.

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7

I get uncomfortable when a romantic partner wants to be very close.

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8

I worry a fair amount about losing my partner.

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9

I don’t feel comfortable opening up to romantic partners.

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10

I often wish that my partner’s feelings for me were as strong as my feeling for him/her.

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11

I want to get close to my partner, but I keep pulling back.

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12

I often want to merge completely with romantic partners, and this sometimes scares them away.

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13

I am nervous when partners get too close to me.

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14

I worry about being alone.

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15

I feel comfortable sharing my private thoughts and feelings with my partner.

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16

My desire to be very close sometimes scares people away.

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17

I try to avoid getting too close to my partner.

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18

I need a lot of reassurance that I am loved by my partner.

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19

I find it relatively easy to get close to my partner.

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20

Sometimes I feel that I force my partners to show more feeling, more commitment.

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21

I find it difficult to allow myself to depend on romantic partners.

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22

I do not often worry about being abandoned.

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23

I prefer not to be too close to romantic partners.

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24

If I can’t get my partner to show interest in me, I get upset or angry.

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25

I tell my partner just about everything.

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26

I find that my partners don’t want to get as close as I would like.

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27

I usually discuss my problems and concerns with my partner.

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28

When I’m not involved in a relationship, I feel somewhat anxious and insecure.

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29

I feel comfortable depending on romantic partners.

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30

I get frustrated when my partner is not around as much as I would like.

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31

I don’t mind asking romantic partners for comfort, advice , or help.

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32

I get frustrated if romantic partners are not available when I need them.

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33

It helps to turn to my romantic partner in time of need.

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34

When romantic partners disapprove of me, I feel really bad about myself.

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35

I turn to my partner for many things, including comfort and reassurance.

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36

I resent it when my partner spends time away from me.

Attachment anxiety: Even numbers (reversed: 22)

Attachment avoidance: Uneven numbers (reversed: 3, 15, 19, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35)