scholarly journals Adult attachment and paranoia: an experimental investigation

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Hutton ◽  
Lyn Ellett ◽  
Katherine Berry
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Attachment Representations ◽  
Persecutory Delusions ◽  
Priming Condition ◽  
Induction State

AbstractAttachment theory may develop understanding of the occurrence and maintenance of persecutory delusions. This study investigates the role of dispositional attachment and contextually primed secure base attachment representations in the occurrence of paranoid thinking. Sixty participants were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: a secure attachment priming condition, a positive affect condition, or a neutral control condition. Following priming, all participants were exposed to a paranoia induction. State paranoia was measured at baseline and following the paranoia induction. Dispositional insecure attachment was associated with both trait and state paranoid thinking. Contrary to predictions, the secure attachment prime did not appear to buffer paranoid thinking and had a negative impact for participants with high levels of attachment anxiety, highlighting the potentially aversive effects of exposure to secure attachment material in those with existing insecure attachment styles.

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

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 1495-1507 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals M113. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTACHMENT STYLES AND CLINICAL PRESENTATION IN EARLY PSYCHOSIS PATIENTS

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S177-S178
Author(s):  
Alena Gizdic ◽  
Lidia Hinojosa-Marqués ◽  
Thomas R Kwapil ◽  
Neus Barrantes Vidal
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Early Psychosis ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Positive Symptoms ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Symptom Dimensions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Attachment Dimensions

Abstract Background Research in both clinical and early psychosis samples is increasingly indicating that insecure attachment styles impact on psychosis symptom expression. Moreover, empirical support has been found for the assumption that specific types of insecure attachment predispose individuals to develop different symptom profiles. This study aimed to increase our understanding of the relevance of attachment styles in an early psychosis sample. To this end, we first examined the relationship of attachment styles with the severity of positive, negative and general symptom dimensions. Secondly, associations between attachment styles and specific positive psychotic symptoms were explored. Methods A total of 96 (60 At-Risk Mental State and 36 First Episode Psychosis) patients participated in the study. Patients’ attachment style was assessed by the Psychosis Attachment Measure (PAM) and the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ). The PAM was used to evaluate attachment dimensions (i.e., anxiety and avoidance), whereas RQ was employed to classify participants into an attachment prototypes (i.e., secure, fearful, preoccupied or dismissive). In addition, patients were administered the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale. Correlation analyses examined the associations of patients’ attachment dimensions and patients’ attachment prototypes with symptom dimensions (positive, negative and general psychopathology) and specific positive psychotic symptoms (delusions, conceptual disorganization, hallucinations, excitement, grandiosity, paranoia and hostility). Results Patients’ attachment anxiety was associated with positive symptoms and general psychopathology, whereas no associations were found between attachment avoidance and symptom dimensions. Moreover, only attachment anxiety was related with specific positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and paranoia. Regarding the associations between attachment prototypes and symptom dimensions, only secure attachment was significantly related to decreased levels of general symptoms. Besides, secure attachment was associated with decreased levels of paranoia, whereas fearful attachment was related with increased levels of paranoid symptoms. No significant relationships were observed between dismissing and preoccupied attachment with specific positive symptoms. Discussion These findings highlight the potential role of secure attachment as a protective factor against poor clinical outcomes and are consistent with previous studies indicating that secure attachment confers a form of resilience for psychopathology. In contrast, attachment anxiety and fearful attachment might represent risk factors for general and positive symptoms. The fact that neither attachment dimensions nor attachment prototypes were associated with the negative symptom dimension seems to confirm previous findings and might suggest that the association of attachment with psychotic symptoms is more robust for the positive dimension. These findings highlight the need of tailoring interventions to patients’ attachment needs. This would include assessing patients’ attachment patterns, as the specific subtypes of insecure attachment style should provide guidance in the context of psychological formulation and treatment planning with early psychosis patients.

The vulnerability of insecure minds: The mediating role of mentalization in the relationship between attachment styles and psychopathology

2021 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 358-384
Author(s):  
Gianluca Santoro ◽  
Laura Rosa Midolo ◽  
Antonino Costanzo ◽  
Adriano Schimmenti
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Mental States ◽  
The Self ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Negative View ◽  
The Relationship

Insecure attachment is linked to mentalizing difficulties and psychopathology. The current study aimed to examine if failures in mentalization, as observed in the form of uncertainty about mental states, mediated the relationship between attachment styles and global psychopathology in a group of 812 adults (66.5% females) from the community. Participants completed measures on attachment styles, uncertainty about mental states, and clinical symptoms. The authors found that uncertainty about mental states was a partial mediator of the associations between attachment styles and psychopathology. Furthermore, the findings supported the role of secure attachment in protecting from mentalization failures and psychopathology; on the contrary, increased scores on attachment styles involving a negative view of the self (preoccupied and fearful attachment styles) predicted high levels of uncertainty about mental states and psychopathology. Accordingly, clinicians may wish to promote mentalizing abilities in individuals who display a negative view of the self embedded in their attachment styles.

L'attaccamento al partner e a Dio come risorsa psicologica nel processo di adattamento alla malattia cancro

2009 ◽  
pp. 59-74
Author(s):  
R. Cassibba ◽  
E. Costantino ◽  
S. Papagna ◽  
R. Montanaro ◽  
V. Mattioli
Keyword(s):  
Specific Aspect ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Attachment To God ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Coping With Cancer ◽  
Behavioral System ◽  
Fighting Spirit ◽  
Diagnosis Of Cancer ◽  
Relational Resources

- The diagnosis of cancer troubles people and their identity; it is a threat for their survival. To cope with cancer, people have to collect all their psychological and relational resources. The behavioral system of attachment is activated when people are in danger and it makes them looking for significant others who can be a "secure base" for them. This study investigates the role of specific adult attachment relationships, such as the bond with God and with the partner, on coping with cancer, hypothesizing that patients with a secure attachment with God or with the partner cope better and perceive less stress, respect to patients with an insecure attachment. The results show that the intensity of religious beliefs and security of attachment with God and with the partner are associated to some specific coping strategies to cancer. In particular, insecurity of attachment to God and a specific aspect of insecurity of attachment to the partner (fear of loss) are connected to a higher level of anxiety and a lower level of fighting spirit in coping with cancer. Only attachment to God is associated to a lower level of perceived stress.

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

BJPsych Open ◽  
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.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Insecure Attachment to Depression: Mediating Role of Sleep and Cognitive Reappraisal

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yige Liu ◽  
Hongfan Li ◽  
Xiayue Xu ◽  
Yukun Li ◽  
Zhutao Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Emotional Disorders ◽  
Cognitive Reappraisal ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Poor Sleep Quality ◽  
Close Relationship

Previously, we have shown that neuromodulators are important factors in stress-induced emotional disorders, such as depression, for example, serotonin is the major substance for depression. Many psychological studies have proved that depression is due to insecure attachment. In addition, sleep is a major symptom of depression. Furthermore, serotonin is the substrate for both sleep and depression. To explore the role of sleep in the relationships between insecure attachment and depression, we investigated 755 college students with Close Relationship Inventory, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Self-rated Depression Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The results showed that (1) insecure attachment positively predicted poor sleep quality; (2) sleep quality partially affected depression, possibly due the same stress neuromodulators such as norepinephrine and cortisol; and (3) cognitive reappraisal moderated the mediating path leading from attachment anxiety to poor sleep quality. These findings highlight the moderating role of cognitive reappraisal in the effects of attachment anxiety on sleep quality and finally on depression. In conclusion, sleep quality links attachment anxiety and emotional disorders.

Infant-mother attachment and behavior problems in healthy and chronically ill preschoolers

1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Goldberg ◽  
Andrew Gotowiec ◽  
Robert J. Simmons
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Problems ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Child Behavior Checklist ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Mother Attachment ◽  
And Behavior

AbstractAnalysis of longitudinal data for 145 children [51 healthy, 40 with cystic fibrosis (CF), and 54 with congenital heart disease (CHD)] was conducted: (a) to ascertain whether behavioral problems evident in older medically compromised children would be reported as early as 2–3 years-of-age; and (b) to test theoretical predictions concerning the role of infant-mother attachment in the etiology of behavior problems. As predicted, children with a medical diagnosis received higher scores from parents on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), primarily on the Internalizing scale. Reports of somatic symptoms did not account for this effect. Contrary to predictions, children with CHD were reported to have more behavior problems than those with CF. Secure attachment was associated with lower CBCL scores for internalizing problems regardless of medical status. The increase in behavior problem reports associated with insecure attachment was shown to reflect an effect of avoidance rather than insecurity per se. The importance of distinguishing effects of different types of insecurity and the need for meta-analytic strategies to do so is emphasized.

Caring for Sharing

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans IJzerman ◽  
Johan C. Karremans ◽  
Lotte Thomsen ◽  
Thomas W. Schubert
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Style ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Person Perception ◽  
Dictator Game ◽  
Grounded Cognition ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Physical Warmth ◽  
Set Up

Does physical warmth lead to caring and sharing? Research suggests that it does; physically warm versus cold conditions induce prosocial behaviors and cognitions. Importantly, previous research has not traced the developmental origins of the association between physical warmth and affection. The association between physical warmth and sharing may be captured in specific cognitive models of close social relations, often referred to as attachment styles. In line with this notion, and using a dictator game set-up, the current study demonstrates that children who relate to their friends with a secure attachment style are more generous toward their peers in warm than in cold conditions. This effect was absent for children who relate to friends with an insecure attachment style. Notably, however, these children not just always shared less: They allocated more stickers to a friend than to a stranger. These findings provide an important first step to understand how fundamental embodied relations develop early in life. We discuss broader implications for grounded cognition and person perception.

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