Tsachi Ein-Dor

• Associate Professor
• Reichman University

The loss of a parent during childhood is a profound event with enduring impacts on psychological and emotional development. This study investigates the long-term effects of childhood parental loss on attachment patterns and openness to experience, with a focus on the epigenetic modulation of the oxytocin and dopamine systems. The sample included 37...

We first seek to explore the relationship between attachment styles of professional financial service customers and their ability to experience customer satisfaction and build relationships with a commercial bank. Secure attached people identify with the commercial bank, feel satisfied and are loyal with the commercial bank. Second, we question whe...

Attachment theory is one of the most comprehensive frameworks in social and developmental psychology. It describes how selective, enduring emotional bonds between infants and their caregivers are formed and maintained throughout life. These attachment bonds exhibit distinct characteristics that are intimately tied to fundamental aspects of mammalia...

Peripartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent and debilitating disorder that adversely affects the development of mothers and infants. Recently, there has been a plea for increased mental health screening during the peripartum period; however, currently, there is no accurate screening tool to identify women at risk of PPD. In addition, some women do n...

Background: Maternal psychiatric morbidities include a range of psychopathologies; one condition is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that develops following a traumatic childbirth experience and may undermine maternal and infant health. Although assessment for maternal mental health problems is integrated in routine perinatal care, screening f...

The findings underscore the disproportionate burden of mental health complications following childbirth on Black and Latinx individuals delivering during the coronavirus pandemic and call for eliminating disparities.

Background Although posttraumatic psychological growth (PTG) occurs following stressful events, knowledge of maternal psychological growth as a result of giving birth during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is lacking. Methods We assessed PTG associated with recent childbirth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory) in a sample of 2205 women who...

Knowledge of childbirth outcomes of Black and Latinx individuals during the coronavirus pandemic is limited. Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic individuals were matched to non-Hispanic white individuals on socio-demographics. Minority individuals were nearly three times more likely to have clinically significant traumatic stress in response...

Abusive supervision relates to subordinates’ experiences of the degree to which supervisors are involved in the continuous demonstration of verbal and non-verbal aggressive behaviours towards them; it is widespread in Israel as well as in other countries, and its consequences have been found to be detrimental for individuals as well as for organiza...

As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread globally, a significant portion of pregnant and delivering women were infected with COVID-19. While emerging studies examined birth outcomes in COVID-19 positive women, knowledge of the psychological experience of childbirth and maternal wellness remains lacking. This matched-control survey-based study...

Background: Knowledge of women's experience of childbirth in the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and associated maternal health outcomes is scarce. Methods: A sample of primarily American women who gave birth around the highest of COVID-19 (n= 1,611) and matched controls, i.e., women who gave birth before COVID-19 (n= 640), complete...

As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread globally, a significant portion of women have undergone childbirth while possibly infected with the virus and also under social isolation due to hospital visitor restrictions. Emerging studies examined birth outcomes in COVID-19 positive women, but knowledge of the psychological experience of childbirt...

As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread globally, a significant portion of women have undergone childbirth while possibly infected with the virus and also under social isolation due to hospital visitor restrictions. Emerging studies examined birth outcomes in COVID-19 positive women, but knowledge of the psychological experience of childbirt...

The oxytocin system is considered one of the primary biological systems related to social tendencies. It has, therefore, been viewed as an important factor in the understanding of the biological aspects of attachment patterns. Research examining the oxytocin system’s genetic and epigenetic basis, in relation to attachment patterns, has mainly focus...

Decades of research on attachment theory yielded considerable insights about close relationships and their effect on the development and maintenance of attachment ties. This extensive literature, however,also comprises inconclusive findings and contradictions regarding attachment avoidance and its distinction from security and/or other insecure sty...

The most prominent psychological theory and research field on the development and maintenance of our social mind is Bowlby’s attachment theory (Bowlby, 1982; see extensive reviews in; Cassidy & Shaver, 2016; Fraley, 2019; Mikulincer & Shaver, 2016; Simpson & Rholes, 2015). According to attachment theory, different nurturing environments prime the d...

Objective. Although depression following childbirth is well recognized, much less is known about comorbid postpartum psychiatric conditions. Some women can endorse posttraumatic stress related to the childbirth experience accompanied by symptoms of depression. The objective of our study was to examine the nature of the comorbidity of symptoms of ch...

Attachment personality theory provides an interpersonal and relational perspective of human functioning. The current research examines the role of attachment diversity within the theoretical framework of the categorization‐elaboration model (CEM). We hypothesized that teams comprised of diverse attachment orientations would be beneficial to team pe...

This chapter examines the role of existential threat in responses to (historical) collective victimization. The literature on collective victimhood developed from an intergroup relations and conflict resolution perspective. Consequently, individual and intragroup responses to collective victimhood have been understudied. This limitation can be addr...

Attachment theory, developed by Mary Ainsworth and John Bowlby about seventy years ago, has become one of the most influential and comprehensive contemporary psychology theories. It predicts that early social interactions with significant others shape the emergence of distinct self- and other-representations, the latter affecting how we initiate an...

Women can develop childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD) in at-term delivery with healthy baby outcome as well as following pre-term delivery and neonatal complications, a potential added stressor. No study compares risk factors of CB-PTSD associated with different infant outcomes. We investigated CB-PTSD risk factors by compari...

Childbirth is a life-transforming event often followed by a time of heightened psychological vulnerability in the mother. There is a growing recognition of the importance of obstetrics aspects in maternal well-being with the way of labor potentially influencing psychological adjustment following parturition or failure thereof. Empirical scrutiny on...

Hormonal contraceptives change women's natural mate preferences, leading them to prefer nurturing but less genetically-compatible men. Cessation of contraceptives reverses these preferences, decreasing women's attraction to current partners. Two studies examined whether women who had used contraceptive pills at relationship formation and stopped do...

Previous studies indicate that death reminders elicit prosocial behavior, but also an urge to distance from physical disabilities. Here, we examine whether mortality salience will increase implicit aggression when one is explicitly requested to help a person with physical disability. This implicit negative response may address the need for self-pro...

Objective: Ex-prisoners of war (ex-POWs) experience prolonged distress that in some cases may influence their cellular aging (telomere length). The current research examines whether attachment orientations of ex-POWs and their spouses can explain individual differences in telomere length 40 years after the experience of captivity. Methods: Eighty-e...

Oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) are neuropeptides that govern the social-emotional functioning of humans. We contend that to fully understand their function, research should consider how they are flexibly fitted to maximize survival and reproduction given the variety of human experience. In a series of two studies, we show that early life stres...

Objective: Peripartum depression (PPD) pertaining to depression in pregnancy and postpartum is one of the most common complications around childbirth with enduring adverse effects on mother and child health. Although psychiatric symptoms may improve or worsen over time, relatively little is known about the course of PPD symptoms and possible fluct...

In 8 studies, we examined the terror management function of self-sacrifice and the moderating role of attachment orientations. Studies 1-5 focused on readiness to self-sacrifice for a cause, whereas Studies 6-8 focused on self-sacrifice to save a relationship partner's life. In Studies 1-3 and 6, we examined whether mortality salience increases rea...

Objective: Recent studies document posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in women following at-term deliveries with health baby outcomes. However, the notion that childbirth can trigger PTSD remains controversial, and the symptom clusters are mostly unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the clustering of childbirth-induced po...

Objective: Recent studies document posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in women following at-term deliveries with health baby outcomes. However, the notion that childbirth can trigger PTSD remains controversial and the symptom clusters are mostly unknown. Methods: Here we examined the symptom presentation of childbirth-related postpartum...

A person’s ability to form relationships and seek and attain social status affects their chances of survival. We study how anxious and avoidant-attachment styles and subsequent winning or losing affects the testosterone (T) levels of team members playing two status contests. The first is a management game played by teams striving to earn the most p...

Feeling good, enjoying positive relationships with others, and looking on the brighter side of life represent a mode of living that most people aspire to. Our emotion system, however, was not designed to provide us with such a blissful existence, but rather it is primarily concerned with keeping us safe and alive. The current chapter takes a critic...

Attachment in the context of intimate pair bonds is most frequently studied in terms of the universal strategy to draw near, or away, from significant others at moments of personal distress. However, important interindividual differences in the quality of attachment exist, usually captured through secure versus insecure – anxious and/or avoidant –...

Attachment in the context of intimate pair bonds is most frequently studied in terms of the universal strategy to draw near, or away, from significant others at moments of personal distress. However, important inter-individual differences in the quality of attachment exist, usually captured through secure versus insecure – anxious and/or avoidant –...

Attachment in the context of intimate pair bonds is most frequently studied in terms of the universal strategy to draw near, or away, from significant others at moments of personal distress. However, important inter-individual differences in the quality of attachment exist, usually captured through secure versus insecure – anxious and/or avoidant –...

There is mounting evidence from animal experiments and studies in humans that the quality of maternal care-assessed by the frequency of licking and grooming or affective touch-is associated with neurobiological and-psychological changes in the offspring. Within this context, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the oxytocin system appe...

Death awareness leads to aversion from bodily processes such as breastfeeding and sex, especially among low body-esteem individuals. Using a Modality Bias Task we examined whether primes of death reduced attention to bodily sensations. We subliminally primed 72 undergraduates with either the word death or failed, and assessed their attention to tac...

Lies and deceptions are prevalent in our daily lives, yet most people merely guess when attempting to distinguish between lies and truths. In the current research, we examined the validity of the saying that “it takes a thief to know a thief” by showing that it takes a good liar – one high in attachment insecurity – to detect another liar. In Study...

Five studies examined defensive intergroup helping—when responsibility for an out-group victim’s injury decreases helping, whereas lack of responsibility increases helping when death is salient. In Study 1 (N = 350), implicit death primes increased petition signings to allow a Palestinian child to receive medical treatment in Israel, when the child...

Resistance to disease is greater for offspring if the parents have dissimilar immune systems, as their pathogendetection ability is enhanced. Accordingly, women evolved to be sexually attracted to men with a dissimilar immune system, primarily during high-fertility cycle phases. Contraceptive pills, however, reverse women’s preferences, leading the...

Three studies examined the effect of historical trauma reminders and criticism from international allies on attitudes toward current conflicts. In Study 1, Israeli participants (N = 116) were primed with the Holocaust, and read either that US President Obama supports Israel's right to defend itself and attack Iran, or that he opposes such action. T...

Background: Although depression symptoms are often experienced by individuals who develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following trauma exposure, little is know about the biological correlates associated with PTSD and depression co-morbidity vs. those associated with PTSD symptoms alone. Methods: Here we examined salivary cortisol responses...

Armed conflict necessitates the ability to quickly distinguish friend from foe. Failure to make accurate shooting decisions may result in harm either to oneself or to innocent others. The factors that predict such rapid decision making, however, remain unclear. Based on social defense theory, we contend that people high on attachment anxiety posses...

Objective: People believe that they can respond effectively to threats, but actually experience difficulties in disengaging from ongoing tasks and shifting their attention to life-threatening events. We contend that this tendency is especially true for secure people with respect to their worldview and perception of others and not to insecure indiv...

This research tested whether chronic or contextually activated Holocaust exposure is associated with more extreme political attitudes among Israeli Jews. Study 1 (N = 57), and Study 2 (N = 61) found that Holocaust primes increased support for aggressive policies against a current adversary and decreased support for political compromise via an ampli...

Existential threat lies at the heart of intergroup conflict, but the literature on existential concerns lacks clear conceptualization and integration. To address this problem, we offer a new conceptualization and measurement of existential threat. We establish the reliability and validity of our measure, and to illustrate its utility, we examine wh...

Bowlby’s attachment theory has stimulated research covering a variety of topics related to individual and relational well-being, such as courtship, mate selection, motivations, emotional responses, cognitions, dreams, values, and psychopathology. This research has contributed greatly to the understanding of individual differences in mental health b...

Are groups superior to individuals in detecting lies, and are there certain personality traits that significantly contribute to a collective lie-detecting capability? In the current research, we compared the ability of small groups to detect deception compared with individuals, and further examined whether small groups comprising more members high...

Research has suggested that high levels of attachment insecurities that are formed through interactions with significant others are associated with a general vulnerability to mental disorders. In the present paper, we extend Ein-Dor and Doron’s (2015) transdiagnostic model linking attachment orientations with internalizing and externalizing symptom...

The current research examined the role of retributive justice and cost-benefit utility motivations in the process through which mortality salience increases support for violent responses to intergroup conflict. Specifically, previous research has shown that mortality salience often encourages political violence, especially when perceptions of retri...

Terror management research indicates that mortality salience (MS) increases support for violent solutions to conflict. The current research examines, in 4 experimental studies, whether this effect is primarily affected by rational considerations of costs of benefits, or whether a retributive justice mindset overrides a utilitarian calculus. In Stud...

Objective: The human brain adjusts its level of effort in coping with various life stressors as a partial function of perceived access to social resources. We examined whether people who avoid social ties maintain a higher fasting basal level of glucose in their bloodstream and consume more sugar-rich food, reflecting strategies to draw more on per...

People often aspire for true love and committed romantic relationships. These relationships, however, are recurrently threatened by partner infidelity. The present research tested a new infidelity-detection model, the rivalry sensitivity hypothesis, that posits that women are more sensitive to cues of infidelity than men are, and tend to focus thei...

This study prospectively examines the longitudinal course of loneliness, social support, and posttraumatic symptoms (PTS) among Israeli war veterans. Two groups of veterans with and without antecedent combat stress reaction (CSR) were assessed at three points of time during a 20-year period. Veterans with CSR reported higher levels of loneliness co...

Background Delayed-onset posttraumatic stress disorder (DPTSD) has been under medicolegal debate for years. Previous studies examining the prevalence and underlying mechanisms of DPTSD have yielded inconclusive findings. Thus, a question still remains regarding the prevalence and underlying mechanism of this phenomenon. This study examined the clin...

Bowlby’s (1982) attachment theory has generated an enormous body of research and conceptual elaborations. Although attachment theory and research propose that attachment security provides a person with many adaptive advantages, during all phases of the life cycle, numerous studies indicate that almost half of the human species can be classified as...

In the present research, we examined the hypothesis that low avoidance enables the activation of the caregiving system, and therefore, among people low in avoidance, caregiving would affect relationship satisfaction, whereas among people high in avoidance, caregiving would not affect relationship satisfaction. One-hundred seventy-nine Israeli adult...

Attachment research to date has focused mostly on individuals and dyads and has demonstrated the disadvantages of attachment insecurities. The present study focuses on the potential positive effects of team-level heterogeneity of attachment orientations on team functioning (suggested by social defense theory) and examines the role of team cohesion...

Responsiveness may signal to a potential partner that one is concerned with her or his welfare, and may therefore increase sexual interest in this person. Research shows, however, that this proposition holds true for men, but not for women. In three studies, one observational and two experimental, we explored a potential mechanism that explains why...

Bowlby's (1982) attachment theory has generated an enormous body of research and conceptual elaborations. Although attachment theory and research propose that attachment security provides a person with many adaptive advantages, during all phases of the life cycle, numerous studies indicate that almost half of the human species can be classified as...

Objective: Research on human reaction to threats has been limited and focused either on the effects of situational features or on the effects of personality dispositions. In the present research, we examined the processes by which personality (specifically attachment orientations) qualifies the effects of situational features on reactions to threat...

Objective The nature of co-morbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression has been the subject of much controversy. This study addresses this issue by investigating associations between probable PTSD and depressive symptoms in a prospective, longitudinal sample of combat veterans. Method Symptoms of PTSD and depression were...

TSaChi eiN-Dor Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya attachment security contributes to resilience in times of stress, but it can be disrupted by traumatic events that shatter positive views of self and others. We followed israeli ex-PoWs of the Yom kippur War over 17 years and examined associations between trajectories of posttraumatic stress di...

Background: Past studies have shown that adversity may yield various salutogenic outcomes. two constructs that have been at the center of this scientific investigation are resilience and posttraumatic growth (PTG). the present study aims to clarify the relations between posttraumatic stress symptoms, resilience and PTG among israeli war veterans....

The current study aims to (1) assess the long-term impact of war captivity on mortality and various health aspects and (2) evaluate the potential mediating role of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms. Israeli ex-prisoners of war (ex-POWs) (N = 154) and a matched control group of combat veterans (N = 161) were assessed on he...

Only a few studies have examined cortisol response to trauma-related stressors in relation to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We followed a sample of high-exposure survivors of the attacks on September 11, 2001 (9/11; 32 men and 29 women) and examined their cortisol response after recalling the escape from the attack, 7 and 18 months post-9/1...

Objective: The authors examined whether priming thoughts of death are associated with increases in alcohol consumption. Method: Research assistants handed out fliers that were stacked in a random order to pedestrians walking through campus (N = 377). These fliers served to remind them of either their death or of an aversive condition unrelated t...

Delayed-onset posttraumatic stress disorder (DPTSD) has been under medico-legal debate for years. Previous studies examining the prevalence and underlying mechanisms of DPTSD have yielded inconclusive findings. This study examined the role of social resources and warzone exposure in DPTSD. Six hundred and seventy-five Israeli veterans from the 1982...

This study prospectively examines the longitudinal course of loneliness, social support, and posttraumatic symptoms (PTS) among Israeli war veterans. Two groups of veterans with and without antecedent combat stress reaction (CSR) were assessed at three points of time during a 20-year period. Veterans with CSR reported higher levels of loneliness co...

This research examined whether perceptions of defeat instigate a motivation to retaliate and displace aggression toward an adversary’s affiliates. In Study 1, 147 Israeli participants were primed with perceptions of victory, defeat, or assigned to a neutral condition and then rated their willingness to wage war against a weak foe or a strong foe. P...

OBJECTIVE: Lying is deep-rooted in our nature, as over 90% of all people lie. Laypeople, however, do only slightly better than chance when detecting lies and deceptions. Recently, attachment anxiety was linked with people's hyper-vigilance toward threat-related cues. Accordingly, we tested whether attachment anxiety predicts people's ability to det...

Romantic couples (N = 127) engaged in a relationship conflict interaction during which their autonomic physiology, emotional experience, and emotional behavior were recorded. Couples were assigned randomly to one of two interventions, or to a control condition: In the affective suppression condition, one partner was instructed to refrain from expre...

Attachment orientations are mostly considered to be stable interpersonal patterns. Still, a growing body of literature shows changes in attachment orientations following stressful and traumatic events. This study examined the implications of stressful life events (SLEs) throughout the life cycle in insecure attachment orientations (anxious attachme...

Delayed-onset PTSD has been under medico-legal debate for years. Previous studies examining the prevalence and clinical characteristics of delayed-onset PTSD have yielded inconclusive findings. This study prospectively examines the prevalence and clinical picture of late-onset PTSD among Israeli war veterans. It also evaluates whether or not late-o...

Delayed-onset PTSD has been under medico-legal debate for years. Previous studies examining the prevalence and clinical characteristics of delayed-onset PTSD have yielded inconclusive findings. This study prospectively examines the prevalence and clinical picture of late-onset PTSD among Israeli war veterans. It also evaluates whether or not late-o...

When God looked upon man, He or She contended that, "It is not good for the man to be alone." (Genesis, 2:18). As humans, we lack the physical strength of true predators, or the speed of those hunted by them; our strength lies in our combined efforts to overcome threat. Research on group-level reactions to threat, however, is scarce. In this contri...

Attachment-related anxiety has repeatedly been associated with poorer adjustment in various social, emotional, and behavioral domains. Building on social defense theory, we examined a possible advantage of having some group members who score high in attachment anxiety – a heightened tendency to deliver a warning message without delay. We led partic...

The current research examined whether the associations between attachment orientations and support provision are mediated by personal distress, and whether these mediation paths are moderated by exposure to geopolitical stress. One-hundred and thirty-three married couples, who were exposed to different levels of geopolitical stress, participated in...

Background: The bi-directional relationships between combat-induced posttraumatic symptoms and family relations are yet to be understood. The present study assesses the longitudinal interrelationship of posttraumatic intrusion and avoidance and family cohesion among 208 Israeli combat veterans from the 1982 Lebanon War. Methods: Two groups of ve...

Although war captivity is a potent pathogen for psychiatric illness, little is known about the long-term trajectories of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among ex-prisoners of wars (ex-POWs). This study aimed to assess the long-term trajectories of PTSD and their predictors following war captivity. One hundred and sixty four Israeli ex-POWs an...

The aversive impact of combat and combat-induced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on parenting of young children has been examined in a few studies. Nevertheless, the toll of war captivity on parenting and the long-term relations between posttraumatic symptoms and paternal parenting of adult children remains unknown. This longitudinal study exa...

Research investigating the link between stress and sexual activity has been limited and the findings equivocal. We examined the stress–sexual activity link and the moderating effects of gender and relationship satisfaction using a daily diary methodology. Seventy-five heterosexual Israeli adults were asked in an initial session to report on their r...

In this study, we assessed the 17-year trajectories of attachment insecurities (anxiety and avoidance) and examined their relations to having been a prisoner of war and suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The sample included two groups of Israeli veterans from the 1973 Yom Kippur war: ex-prisoners of war and comparable control indi...

This study examines the implications of acute stress disorder (ASD), following myocardial infraction (MI), in predicting subsequent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and impaired quality of life (QoL) 8 years post-MI. MI patients, who were assessed within a week of the MI (Time 1; n=173), were followed up 7 months (Time 2; n=116) and 8 years (Ti...

The underlying mechanisms of delayed-onset PTSD are yet to be understood. This study examines the role of stressful life events throughout the life cycle in delayed-onset PTSD following combat. 675 Israeli veterans from the 1982 Lebanon War, 369 with antecedent combat stress reaction (CSR) and 306 without CSR were assessed prospectively, 1, 2 and 2...

Attachment-related avoidance and anxiety have repeatedly been associated with poorer adjustment in various social, emotional, and behavioral domains. We examined 2 domains in which avoidant individuals might be better equipped than their less avoidant peers to succeed and be satisfied--professional singles tennis and computer science. These fields...

People who score high on attachment anxiety or avoidance display poorer adjustment than secure individuals in various social, emotional, and behavioral domains. Yet it may be advantageous for groups to include insecure as well as secure members. The authors tested predictions from social defense theory concerning advantages to groups of including m...

This longitudinal study examined the course and bidirectional relation between posttraumatic distress and posttraumatic growth (PTG). A sample of Israeli ex-prisoners of war and matched controls were followed over 17 years. Participants' posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety symptoms were measured at three time-points. PTG w...

In 6 studies we examined procedural, scriptlike knowledge associated with 2 different kinds of attachment insecurity: anxiety and avoidance. The studies examined associations between attachment insecurities, the cognitive accessibility of sentinel and rapid fight-flight schemas, and the extent to which these schemas guide the processing of threat-r...