Patient social functioning in acute mental health inpatient wards: the role of emotional regulation, attachment styles and nurse–patient relationships

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Laura D Wainwright ◽  
Katherine Berry ◽  
Charlotte Dunster-Page ◽  
Gillian Haddock
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Anxious Attachment ◽  
Patient Relationships

Background/aims Improvement in social functioning is an important aspect of recovery from severe mental health problems. Nurses on acute mental health wards play an important role in facilitating this recovery. Therefore, it is important to explore potential predictors of social functioning and the quality of nurse–patient relationships. The aim of this study was to explore associations between patient social functioning, nurse–patient therapeutic alliances, emotional regulation, attachment style and nurse distress in acute mental health settings. Methods: A questionnaire-based, cross-sectional approach with correlational and regression analyses was used for this study. A total of 50 nurse–patient dyads in acute mental health inpatient wards across four NHS trusts in the north-west of England took part. Patients and nurses completed questionnaires regarding demographic information, emotional regulation, attachment style and alliance. Nurses also rated patient social functioning and their own distress. Results The patient anxious attachment style was associated with difficulties in regulating emotions. Patient emotional regulation, patient insecure attachment and the patient-rated alliance predicted nurse-rated patient social functioning. Nurse emotion regulation, nurse insecure attachment style and nurse-rated alliance did not significantly predict nurse-rated patient social functioning and correlations were non-significant. Nurse distress was associated with nurse emotion regulation, nurse anxious attachment and nurse-rated alliance. These factors significantly predicted nurse distress. Conclusions: Patient social functioning is predicted by emotion regulation, attachment and alliance. Similarly, nurse distress is predicted by nurse emotion regulation, attachment style and alliance. Interventions targeting emotion regulation or attachment-informed wards would be beneficial.

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.

Romantic relationships in adults with ADHD: The effect of partner attachment style on relationship quality

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-64
Author(s):  
Katherine Knies ◽  
Elizabeth A. Bodalski ◽  
Kate Flory
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Anxious Attachment ◽  
Avoidant Attachment ◽  
Romantic Relationship Quality

Prior literature indicates that insecure attachment styles (i.e., anxious or avoidant) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) both have negative impacts on romantic relationships, but relatively little is known about how these factors interact among couples where one partner has ADHD and the other does not. One hundred and fifty-nine partners of adults with significant ADHD symptoms completed measures of their own attachment styles, their partner’s ADHD symptoms, and relationship quality. Anxious attachment was associated with lower romantic relationship quality, but avoidant attachment was associated with more positive relationship outcomes. Results also indicated that the negative effect of ADHD symptoms on romantic relationship quality may be exacerbated by a partner’s high level of anxious attachment. Though insecure attachment styles are generally thought to have a negative impact on romantic relationships, avoidant attachment was generally associated with more positive outcomes in this study. Several possible explanations based on theoretical support are included in the discussion along with clinical applications and future directions.

scholarly journals Attachment, perceived social support and mental health problems in women with primary infertility

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 2533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadia Saleem ◽  
Namra S. Qureshi ◽  
Zahid Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Attachment Pattern

Background: Infertility is one of the fastest growing concerns when it comes to reproductive health and most often, women get the blame. Consequently, females suffer from major psycho-social and emotional problems that may lead to serious mental health concerns.Methods: To fill the gap in literature, a cross-sectional research design was used to measure the attachment styles with spouse, perceived social support, and predict mental health problems in women attending infertility clinics with ages ranging from 19-45 (M 27.21, SD 4.79). Adult Attachment Questionnaire, Multidimensional Perceived Social Support, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale were used among experimental subjects selected through purposive sampling technique.Results: About 32% women reported themselves as secure, 49% as ambivalent, and 19% as avoidant in their attachment style with spouse. The results revealed that a significant negative correlation exists between perceived social support and mental health problems among women with infertility. Moreover, women who identify their attachment pattern as Ambivalent perceive less social support and experience more mental health problems.Conclusions: Education is one of the strongest predictors of how likely infertility is to cause mental health issues while Attachment style is another strong indicator since infertile women with secure attachment pattern have fewer mental health problems. However, the sample size was modest to make any wide-scale assumptions, so further trials with larger participant pools must be performed. Additionally, future studies should include both rural and urban samples with different psychological variables to find the similarities and differences between various groups of people with diverse backgrounds.

Interparental conflict and relational attitudes within romantic relationships: The mediating role of attachment orientations

2022 ◽  
pp. 026540752110616
Author(s):  
Rami Tolmacz ◽  
Rachel Bachner-Melman ◽  
Lilac Lev-Ari ◽  
Karen Almagor
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Interparental Conflict ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Couple Relationships ◽  
Anxious Attachment ◽  
Attachment Orientations ◽  
Avoidant Attachment

Early experiences and childhood perceptions of interparental conflict (IPC) have consistently been shown to have detrimental consequences for future psychological adjustment, in particular for attachment and couple relationships during adolescence and adulthood. We hypothesized that 1. IPC would predict anxious and avoidant attachment styles, and three relational attitudes associated with couple relationships: sense of relational entitlement, pathological concern, and authenticity; and 2. Attachment style would mediate the associations between IPC and these three relational attitudes. Measures of perceived IPC, attachment orientations, relational entitlement, pathological concern, and authenticity in romantic relationships were completed online by 280 young adults aged 19–32. IPC was positively correlated with anxious and avoidant attachment styles, restricted and inflated sense of entitlement, and pathological concern and negatively with authenticity. A structural equations model showed that IPC predicted avoidant and anxious attachment styles, which positively predicted an inflated and restricted sense of relational entitlement and pathological concern and negatively predicted authenticity. Attachment styles fully mediated the relationships between IPC and the relational attitudes. IPC therefore seems to be related to imbalanced attitudes in romantic relationships, due in part to a propensity toward insecure attachment orientations. Children with insecure attachment who are exposed to significant levels of IPC may be at high risk for relationship problems later in life because of difficulties exposing their vulnerability, assessing need fulfillment realistically, and caring for themselves as well as others. They should therefore be helped to communicate their relational needs to significant others, in particular to their partners.

The mediating role of difficulties in emotion regulation on attachment styles of adolescents with conduct disorders

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Yaghoubipoor ◽  
Seyed Hamid Seyed Bagheri ◽  
Hadi Khoshab
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Parental Attachment ◽  
Personal Autonomy ◽  
Conduct Disorders ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Difficulties In Emotion Regulation

Abstract Adolescence is a period of achieving emotion regulation skills. One of the main responsibilities of adolescents is to learn adaptive emotion regulation and personal autonomy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of difficulties in emotion regulation in the attachment styles of adolescents with conduct disorders. This was a cross-sectional and correlational study. The study consisted of 105 adolescent residing in detention centers in the southeast of Iran using multi-stage random sampling. Data were collected using various questionnaires such as the Inventory of Parents and Peer Attachment-Revised (IPPA-R), the Difficulties of Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Information was analyzed using path analysis. The results show parental attachment and difficulties in emotion regulation significantly contribute to the prediction of conduct problems. A sense of alienation causes conduct disorders through disturbance in emotional regulation, but trust and communication with parents are only indirectly related to conduct disorders by disturbances in emotional regulation. As attachment is closely correlated with emotional regulation and difficulties in emotion regulation also lead to the conduct disorders, it is suggested to train emotion regulation in adolescents and their families with the aim of shaping relationships that will lead to the formation of a secure attachment style in the child.

Attachment as a Moderator in the Relation Between Child Maltreatment and Symptoms of Depression

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052093305
Author(s):  
Sarah Nowalis ◽  
Stephanie A. Godleski ◽  
Lindsay S. Schenkel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Anxious Attachment ◽  
Attachment Relationship ◽  
Caregiver Attachment

Experiencing child maltreatment is a risk factor for later psychopathology; however, not all survivors of child maltreatment go on to develop mental health diagnoses. There are likely important risk factors that act as moderators interacting with child maltreatment to contribute to the development of psychopathology. The present study examined the attachment dimensions of anxiety and avoidance as potential moderators in the association between child maltreatment and depressive symptomatology in a sample of college students. An attachment style high in anxiety or avoidance was expected to exacerbate the effect of child maltreatment on depressive symptomatology across both primary and secondary caregiver attachment relationships. This study was conducted at a private university in the northeastern United States in a sample of college students ( N = 203; 52% male; Mage = 19.85, SDage = 2.19). Participants completed online measures of attachment, current mood symptoms, and demographic information. Two moderation models were tested, one for attachment to primary caregivers and one for attachment to secondary caregivers. Anxious attachment to primary caregivers moderated the relationship between child maltreatment and depressive symptoms ( B = −0.16, p < .01, R2 =.44). However, moderation was not significant in the secondary caregiver attachment relationship. Maladaptive attachment styles, as well as child maltreatment itself, may result in disruptions in the development of positive internal working models of the self and others and adaptive emotion regulation. In cases of child maltreatment, interventions focused on the parent–child attachment relationship may have long-lasting effects and implications for the child’s future mental health. This research highlights important areas of intervention in cases of child maltreatment as well as important differences in the anxiety and avoidance dimensions of attachment.

scholarly journals Exploring How UK Adults' Attachment Style in Romantic Relationships Affects Engagement in Controlling Behaviours

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly C. Gilbert ◽  
Robert Blakey
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Adult Attachment ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Interpersonal Relationship ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Anxious Attachment

Copious studies have identified a link between disorganised attachment and engagement in controlling caregiving or controlling punitive behaviours. Studies have suggested that consistently engaging in these behaviours can cause difficulties within relationships and contribute to the development of a personality disorder. Most of the literature thus far has focused on engagement in controlling behaviours by children with a disorganised attachment style, despite there being theoretical grounds to suggest they may also be used by adults and across all types of insecure attachment. This study aimed to address these gaps by looking at adult attachment style and engagement in controlling behaviours in romantic relationships, across all insecure attachment styles; avoidant, anxious and disorganised. The current study recruited a non-clinical sample; specifically, 149 English-speaking adults, living in the UK, between the ages of 18 and 77 years old (M = 34.28, SD = 14.90). The participants answered an anonymous online questionnaire containing four self-report measures which assessed the participants' attachment security and organisation, caregiving style and engagement in punitive behaviours. The results indicated that participants who scored higher in disorganised attachment were more likely to use controlling punitive behaviours in their romantic relationships. Moreover, participants who reported a more insecure-anxious attachment style were more likely to use compulsive caregiving behaviours in their romantic relationships. In contrast, participants who reported a higher insecure avoidant attachment style were less likely to use compulsive caregiving behaviours in their romantic relationships. These results have implications for adult attachment theory and aid the understanding of some of the behaviours that can be harmful within romantic relationships. The findings could be used to help at-risk individuals develop healthy interpersonal relationship going forward.

scholarly journals Adult attachment and mental health: The role of emotion regulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeinab Mortazavizadeh ◽  
Simon Forstmeier
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Adult Attachment ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Increased Risk

Attachment style is one of the most significant driving forces across the lifespan as identified by a variety of studies. Many studies have suggested that there might be an association between attachment and mental health. In a different thread of research, studies provided evidence that dysfunctional emotion regulation has a potential impact on an individual’s mental health. The present review has the purpose to examine available papers on the association of adult attachment with mental health with particular emphasis on the role of emotion regulation in this association. A database search was conducted for published data in Psych INFO, Elsevier and Google Scholar by combining search terms: ‘adult attachment’, ‘mental health, diseases or illnesses’ and ‘emotion regulation’. A total of 182 studies were identified and screened, and finally 19 studies met inclusion criteria. Results of this review revealed a moderate association between insecure attachment and several mental disorders. Also, individuals with insecure attachment showed more difficulty in emotion regulation. However, some studies found no positive association between avoidant attachment and mental disease. This review suggests that individual with insecure attachment showed an increased risk for mental disorders and that and emotion dysregulation might mediate this relationship. However, most of studies had non-clinical samples which could affect result. Therefore, further research is needed to examine clinical samples regarding the attachment in adulthood and mental health and the role of emotion regulation to come up with more accurate results in the future.

scholarly journals Dogs’ Sociability, Owners’ Neuroticism and Attachment Style to Pets as Predictors of Dog Aggression

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Gobbo ◽  
Manja Zupan
Keyword(s):  
Aggressive Behavior ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Psychological Profile ◽  
Anxious Attachment ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Psychological Profiles ◽  
Avoidant Attachment

A dog’s aggressive behavior is influenced by external and internal factors, including its psychological profile. In this study, dogs’ and owners’ personalities and the owners’ attachment style to their dogs were identified and associated with owner-reported dog aggression towards humans and animals. Forty Slovenian owners participated with their dogs, of different breeds and aggression history, sorted into three groups (non-aggressive dogs, dogs aggressive towards humans, and dogs aggressive towards animals). The owners filled out three separate questionnaires that assessed dog aggression history towards different targets, owner’s personality and degree of insecure attachment styles to dogs; namely anxious and avoidant attachment. Dog personality was characterized using a standardized dog mentality assessment test, during which the dog was exposed to nine tasks, performed outside, and dogs were scored based on behaviors they exhibited. The results indicated that dogs which were aggressive towards humans were less sociable than non-aggressive dogs and this was associated with the higher neuroticism scores of their owners. We also found that dogs which were aggressive towards strangers had owners with lower scores for anxious attachment and that dogs which were aggressive towards owners had owners with higher scores for avoidant attachment. These results imply that the psychological profiles of both a dog and its owner influence dog aggression towards humans.

The Relationship Between Attachment Styles, Emotion Regulation Strategies, and Health-Promoting Behaviors: Extreme Sports Participants Versus Non-Participants

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ece Bekaroglu ◽  
Özlem Bozo
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Emotion Regulation Strategies ◽  
Extreme Sports ◽  
Anxious Attachment ◽  
Health Promoting Behaviors ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Regulation Strategies ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between attachment styles, emotion regulation strategies, and their possible effects on health-promoting behaviors among those who participate (N = 109) versus those who do not participate in extreme sports (N = 202). Multiple mediation analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses. Different nonadaptive emotion regulation strategies mediated the relationship between insecure attachment styles and health-promoting behaviors in two groups of the current study. In the extreme sports group, lack of awareness about emotions and lack of goals while dealing with negative emotions mediated the relationship between anxious attachment style and health-promoting behaviors; and lack of goals while dealing with negative emotions mediated the relationship between avoidant attachment style and health-promoting behaviors. In participants who do not engage in extreme sports, lack of clarity about emotions mediated the relationship between anxious attachment style and health-promoting behaviors. Findings and their implications were discussed in the light of the literature.

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