The disorder of lived corporeality: A possible link between attachment style and eating disorder psychopathology

IntroductionAccording to the trans-diagnostic perspective, disturbances in eating patterns of eating disorders (EDs) are considered as epiphenomena secondary to the patient's overvaluation of his/her body shape and weight.ObjectivesThe phenomenological theory states that the main feature of ED psychopathology is a disturbance in the way affected persons experience their own body (embodiment). Insecure attachment may promote the development of unstable self-identity leading to use body weight as a source of self-definition.AimsThe aim of our study was to assess the role of embodiment impairments in the relationships between attachment stiles and ED psychopathology.MethodsOne hundred twelve ED patients and 108 healthy subjects filled in the Identity and Eating Disorders (IDEA) questionnaire, which assesses embodiment and personal identity abnormalities, the eating disorder inventory-2 (EDI-2) and the experiences in close relationships (ECR) scale, which defines attachment styles.ResultsED patients showed IDEA, EDI-2 and ECR scores significantly higher than controls. Significant correlations between IDEA scores, insecure attachment and almost all EDI-2 sub-item scores emerged in ED patients but not in controls. IDEA total score mediated the relationship between avoidant attachment and EDI-2 interoceptive awareness.ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate that in ED patients insecure attachment is correlated to disorder of identity and lived corporeality that, in turn, mediates the association between attachment and a specific ED psychopathological trait. Therefore, we suppose that early relationships, through the development of disturbances in identity and embodiment, lead to altered perception of bodily signals and deranged discrimination of one's emotions, which could contribute to EDs.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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Anorexia nervosa and attachment

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.785 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. S552-S552

Author(s):

H. De la Red Gallego ◽

A. Alonso Sánchez ◽

A. Álvarez Astorga ◽

S. Gómez Sánchez ◽

L. Rodríguez Andrés ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Eating Disorders ◽

Anorexia Nervosa ◽

Eating Disorder ◽

Clinical Case ◽

Cognitive Distortions ◽

Insecure Attachment ◽

Weight Restoration ◽

Competing Interest ◽

The One

IntroductionAttachment is an innate programming whereby a child seeks for security. There is scientific and empirical evidence that insecure attachment is usual in eating disorder patients [1].ObjectivesTo highlight the relevance of attachment between child and caregivers, as well as its significance in therapeutic approach.MethodsA 17-year-old girl hospitalized after attending to emergency department due to fainting. BMI: 12.89. She reports restrictive behavior since age 11 that her mother regards as “child issues”. Divorced parents, she grew up with her mother, diagnosed of hypochondria, who mentions not understanding why she is not the one who is hospitalized.ResultsDuring hospitalization, she turned 18-years-old. Guardianship of her younger siblings was removed to her mother. She had a secure relationship with her 24-year-old sister, so she decided to move in with her. Later on, she had a positive progress, maintaining the gained weight and mood stability, although cognitive distortions persist.ConclusionsAmong developmental and maintaining factors of eating disorders, impaired attachment is becoming increasingly interesting. Even though the main goal of treatment is weight restoration, exploring attachment patterns can facilitate to achieve that aim. This clinical case emphasizes the importance of attachment in eating disorders among child and young adults.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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Attachment Style and the Predisposition to Eating Disorders in Adolescence

European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies ◽

10.26417/ejis.v6i1.p112-120 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 112

Author(s):

Semiramida Manaj

Keyword(s):

Eating Disorders ◽

Eating Disorder ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Early Adulthood ◽

Personal Interest ◽

Teenage Girls ◽

Important Relationship ◽

Eating Disorders Symptoms ◽

The Relationship

This study arouses from my personal interest to understand more about the attachment styles processes of the teenage girls and the predisposition to develop an eating disorder. Eating disorders in adolescence are being widely noted in the albanian society. Individuals affected more often by eating disorders are women, mostly girls in late adolescence and early adulthood age. The purpose of this study was to focus on exploring the relationship between the tendency to develop an eating disorder and attachment style of teenage girls 15-18 years old. In this study participated 287 teenage girls. They completed two measure instruments: Multidimensional eating disorder Inventory-Garner, Olmstead - Polivy (1983) which measured respectively eating disorders symptoms and Batholomew’s Attachment Style Inventory (1991) which measured the attachment styles of the teenage girls. The hypothesis of the current study was that there was a significant link between unhealthy attachment styles (unsecure, avoidant, disorganized) and the tendecy to develop an eating disorder at teenage girls 15-18 years old. The result in the end of th study was that there is a statistically important relationship between the tendency to develop an eating disorder and unhealthy attachment styles (unsecure, avoidant, disorganized). The study showed that the correlation between unhealthy attachment styles and tendency to develop an eating disorder was significant. Teenage girls with unhealthy attachment styles showed more symptoms of eating disorders, they were in border to develop an eating disorders or they already had one.

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The correlation between object relationships and attachment style in prostitutes in Iran

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.363 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. S415-S415

Author(s):

L. Nouralizade ◽

S. Ghahari

Keyword(s):

Object Relations ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Simple Random Sampling ◽

Insecure Attachment ◽

Statistical Population ◽

Reality Testing ◽

Competing Interest ◽

Statistical Sample

ObjectiveIncreased statistics of prostitution and reduced age of prostitutes at the world and as a result, prevalence of diseases such as AIDS and other diseases has gained attention of scholars to the problem of prostitution and relevant problems. Hence, the main objective of this study is to analyze the correlation between object relations and attachment style in prostitutes in Iran.MethodApplied method in this study is correlation. Statistical population in this study consists of prostitutes of Tehran, Mashhad, Kerman, Tabriz and Mazandaran and statistical sample consists of 317 women selected using simple random sampling method in 2015. For purpose of data collection, Bell Object Relations and Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI) and Hazan and Shaver attachment styles questionnaire are used. The data were analyzed using multivariate regression and Pearson correlation in SPSS-22.FindingThe results showed that there is significant correlation between object relations and attachment styles in prostitutes (P < 0.01).ConclusionObject relations scales (incompetence, self-centeredness and alienation) are correlated to insecure attachment styles in prostitutes.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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Attachment Style and the Predisposition to Eating Disorders in Adolescence

European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies ◽

10.26417/ejis.v2i4.p112-120 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

pp. 112

Author(s):

Semiramida Manaj

Keyword(s):

Eating Disorders ◽

Eating Disorder ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Early Adulthood ◽

Personal Interest ◽

Teenage Girls ◽

Important Relationship ◽

Eating Disorders Symptoms ◽

The Relationship

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Self-harm and Attachment in Adolescents: What is the Role of Emotion Dysregulation?

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.2214 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. S222-S222

Author(s):

G. Rogier ◽

C. Petrocchi ◽

M. D’aguanno ◽

P. Velotti

Keyword(s):

Attachment Style ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Emotion Dysregulation ◽

Insecure Attachment ◽

Empirical Literature ◽

Empirically Supported ◽

Self Harm ◽

Competing Interest

IntroductionSelf-harm typically occurs in adolescence and has been conceptualized as a dysfunctional strategy to regulate intense negative emotions. Furthermore, empirical literature outlines that self-harmers are more prone to have an insecure attachment style. Moreover, the link between quality of attachment and capacity to regulate emotions has been theoretically and empirically supported.ObjectiveTo examine the associations between attachment style, self-harm behaviors and emotion dysregulation among a sample of adolescents. The sample consisted of 740 adolescents aged between 13 and 19 years (mean age = 16.70, SD = 0.91).AimsTo explore the nature of different pathways by which insecure attachment leads to self-harm behaviors.ResultsAs expected, insecure attachment and emotion dysregulation were positively associated with self-harm behaviors. Moreover, emotion dysregulation mediated the link between attachment styles and self-harm. Specific pathways between types of insecure attachment dimension of emotion dysregulation and self-harm behaviors emerged.ConclusionsSuch results confirm the theorization of self-harm behaviors as a dysfunctional strategy to regulate emotions. Moreover, such emotion dysregulation in self-harmers seem to be connected to insecure attachment. Depending on the subtype of insecure attachment, specific dimensions of emotion dysregulation seem to be involved in self-harm behavior, suggesting interesting clinical implications.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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Measuring attachment and parental bonding in psychosis and its clinical implications

Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences ◽

10.1017/s2045796014000730 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 142-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

S. Mathews ◽

J. Onwumere ◽

S. Bissoli ◽

M. Ruggeri ◽

E. Kuipers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Attachment Theory ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Parental Bonding ◽

Insecure Attachment ◽

Self Report ◽

Future Research ◽

Clinical Implications ◽

Term Outcome ◽

Long Term Outcome

Background.Attachment theory proposes that psychological functioning and affect regulations are influenced by the attachment we form with others. Early relationships with parents or caregivers lay the foundations for attachment styles. These styles are proposed to influence how we relate to others during our life can be modified by the relationships and events we experience in our lifespan. A secure attachment style is associated with a capacity to manage distress, comfort with autonomy and the ability to form relationships with others, whereas insecure attachment can lead to dysfunctional relationships, emotional and behaviour avoidance. Attachment theory provides a useful framework to inform our understanding of relationship difficulties in people with psychosis. This paper aims to complement recent systematic reviews by providing an overview of attachment theory, its application to psychosis, including an understanding of measurement issues and the clinical implications offered.Method.A narrative review was completed of the measures of attachment and parental bonding in psychosis. Its clinical implications are also discussed. The paper also explores the link between insecure attachment styles and illness course, social functioning and symptomatology. The following questions are addressed: What are the key attachment measures that have been used within the attachment and psychosis literature? What are the results of studies that have measured attachment or parental bonding in psychosis and what clinical implications can we derive from it? What are some of the key questions for future research from these findings in relation to the onset of psychosis research field?Results.The most commonly used measures of attachment in psychosis research are reviewed. Self-report questionnaires and semi-structured interviews have mainly been used to examine attachment styles in adult samples and in recent years comprise a measure specifically developed for a psychosis group. The review suggests that insecure attachment styles are common in psychosis samples. Key relationships were observed between insecure, avoidant and anxious attachment styles and psychosis development, expression and long-term outcome.Conclusions.Attachment theory can provide a useful framework to facilitate our understanding of interpersonal difficulties in psychosis that may predate its onset and impact on observed variability in outcomes, including treatment engagement. Greater attention should be given to the assessment of attachment needs and to the development of interventions that seek to compensate for these difficulties. However, further investigations are required on specifying the exact mechanisms by which specific attachment styles impact on the development of psychosis and its course.

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Insecure attachment is associated with paranoia but not hallucinations in psychotic patients: the mediating role of negative self-esteem

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291714002633 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (7) ◽

pp. 1495-1507 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

S. Wickham ◽

K. Sitko ◽

R. P. Bentall

Keyword(s):

Attachment Style ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Insecure Attachment ◽

Future Research ◽

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽

Attachment Representations ◽

Co Morbidity ◽

The Relationship

BackgroundA growing body of research has investigated associations between insecure attachment styles and psychosis. However, despite good theoretical and epidemiological reasons for hypothesising that insecure attachment may be specifically implicated in paranoid delusions, few studies have considered the role it plays in specific symptoms.MethodWe examined the relationship between attachment style, paranoid beliefs and hallucinatory experiences in a sample of 176 people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 113 healthy controls. We also investigated the possible role of negative self-esteem in mediating this association.ResultsInsecure attachment predicted paranoia but not hallucinations after co-morbidity between the symptoms was controlled for. Negative self-esteem partially mediated the association between attachment anxiety and clinical paranoia, and fully mediated the relationship between attachment avoidance and clinical paranoia.ConclusionsIt may be fruitful to explore attachment representations in psychological treatments for paranoid patients. If future research confirms the importance of disrupted attachment as a risk factor for persecutory delusions, consideration might be given to how to protect vulnerable young people, for example those raised in children's homes.

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Problems with Recall-Based Attachment Style Priming Paradigms: Exclusion Criteria, Sample Bias and Reduced Power

10.31234/osf.io/bmrzs ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

John Kitchener Sakaluk

Keyword(s):

Attachment Style ◽

External Validity ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Sexual Experience ◽

Insecure Attachment ◽

Exclusion Criteria ◽

Sample Bias ◽

Internal And External Validity

Attachment styles are often primed by having participants recall and describe a relationship that is prototypical of a given attachment style. Researchers may exclude participants who cannot recall such a relationship, or who describe relationships that do not conform to the assigned prime. I suggest that excluding participants is untenable, and may threaten a study’s validity. In the present research, I examine predictors of exclusion from an attachment priming study. Priming insecure attachment resulted in greater odds of exclusion relative to a control condition. Female participants with greater sexual experience also had lesser odds of exclusion. These results suggest that attachment-priming procedures contribute to participant exclusion that compromise internal and external validity. Discussion focuses on directions for future attachment-priming research.

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Is attachment style in early childhood associated with mental health difficulties in late adolescence?

BJPsych Open ◽

10.1192/bjo.2021.98 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (S1) ◽

pp. S15-S15

Author(s):

Philippa Clery ◽

Angela Rowe ◽

Marcus Munafò ◽

Liam Mahedy

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Late Adolescence ◽

Insecure Attachment ◽

Secure Attachment ◽

Childhood Attachment ◽

Mental Health Difficulties ◽

Self Harm

AimsIdentifying factors that contribute to mental health difficulties in young people as early in life as possible are needed to inform prevention strategies. One area of interest is attachment. Although existing research has suggested an association between insecure attachment styles and mental health difficulties, these studies often have small sample sizes, use cross-sectional designs, and measure attachment as a discrete variable at a single point or use romantic relationship attachment as a proxy for childhood attachment. It is also unclear whether these associations persist into late adolescence. In this large prospective study we aimed to determine whether an insecure attachment style measured at repeated points in early childhood, is associated with depression and self-harm at 18 years.MethodWe used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort. Mothers completed attachment related questionnaires when their child was 18, 30, and 42 months old. Offspring depression and lifetime self-harm was assessed at 18 years in clinic using the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised. Attachment was derived as a continuous latent variable in a structural equation modelling framework. Logistic regression was performed on participants with complete attachment data (n = 7032) to examine the association between attachment style and depression and self-harm, with adjustment for potential confounders. Differential dropout was accounted for using multiple imputation.ResultWe found some evidence for an association between a more insecure attachment style in childhood, and a diagnosis of depression and life-time self-harm at age 18. In the fully adjusted imputed model, a one standard deviation increase in insecure attachment was associated with a 13% increase in the odds of depression (OR = 1.13; 95%CI = 1.00 to 1.27) and a 14% increase in the odds of self-harm at age 18 (OR = 1.14; 95%CI = 1.02 to 1.25), for children who had more insecure attachment in early childhood, compared with children who had more secure attachment.ConclusionThis is the largest longitudinal study to examine the prospective association between childhood attachment and depression and self-harm in late adolescence. Our findings strengthen the evidence suggesting that a childhood insecure attachment style is associated with mental health difficulties in late adolescence. Policies and interventions to support parenting behaviours that foster the development of secure attachment styles, or attachment-based therapies to improve attachment quality, could help reduce depression and self-harm in adolescence/young adulthood.Philippa Clery is supported by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research at the University of Bristol and the Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund.

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Dismissive Attachment and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Securely and Insecurely Attached Belgian Security Workers

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.105.3.889-899 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 105 (3) ◽

pp. 889-899 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Stefan Bogaerts ◽

Maarten J. J. Kunst ◽

Frans W. Winkel

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Ptsd Symptom ◽

Traumatic Event ◽

Insecure Attachment ◽

Grandiose Narcissism ◽

Preoccupied Attachment

This study examined Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in relation to secure and insecure attachment styles based on data collected in a sample of 81 Belgian security workers. All had experienced one traumatic event in the previous year. The sample was divided into a securely attached and an insecurely attached group. The three PTSD symptom scales, Re-experiencing, Avoidance, and Hyperarousal, differentiated significantly between the two attachment groups; the dismissive attachment style was negatively related to PTSD. Individuals with a positive view of themselves and a negative view of others have less risk of developing PTSD than those with a fearful or preoccupied attachment style. A relationship between the dismissive attachment style with grandiose narcissism seems possible. Interest has been expressed in medical approaches; therefore, the importance of medical research on PTSD is emphasized.

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