Extensive research underscores the enduring impact of early attachment experiences on psychological and physiological functioning across the lifespan. Building on this foundation, the present study examined whether individual differences in secure base script knowledge (SBSK), a cognitive marker of attachment security, predict patterns of autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity, as conceptualized by the Adaptive Calibration Model (ACM). We also explored whether gender moderated these associations.

A sample of 110 adults completed the Attachment Script Assessment (ASA), during which participants narrated stories in response to attachment-relevant word cues. During the task, physiological markers of sympathetic (electrodermal activity) and parasympathetic (heart rate variability) activation were continuously recorded. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) identified four distinct physiological stress profiles, which we labeled sensitive, buffered, vigilant, and PNS-dominated. These results partially aligned with the ANS responsivity patterns described by the ACM.

Multinomial logistic regression revealed that higher SBSK scores significantly predicted membership in the buffered profile, indicative of more adaptive and flexible stress regulation. Gender further moderated the association between SBSK and physiological profiles: SBSK was positively associated with the sensitive profile in women but negatively associated in men. Conversely, the PNS-dominated profile was positively associated with higher SBSK in men, but negatively associated in women.

These findings highlight the predictive value of attachment-related cognitive scripts in shaping physiological responses to interpersonal stress and suggest that gender may differentially influence the translation of internalized attachment knowledge into biological regulation strategies.