Adult attachment, perceived earlier experiences of care giving and trauma in people with psychosis

Abstract

Background: Attachment theory may inform models of psychosis.Aims: We tested specific predictions regarding associations between adult attachment, perceived earlier experiences of care giving and trauma in a sample of people with psychosis.Method: In a sample of 80 patients, we investigated associations between adult attachment dimensions assessed using the Psychosis Attachment Measure, reports of care received in childhood assessed using the Parental Bonding Instrument and trauma assessed using an adapted version of the Trauma History Questionnaire.Results: We found a negative correlation between reports of parental care and avoidant attachment, which was maintained when potential confounds were controlled. A significant positive correlation between reports of overprotection in care-giving relationships and anxious attachment was not maintained when controlling for depression. There were higher levels of attachment anxiety in patients reporting trauma involving significant others in childhood relationships, compared to patients reporting trauma involving significant others in adulthood. Trauma involving significant others in childhood was not a significant predictor of attachment anxiety when depression was also entered in the regression model.Conclusions: Findings provide partial support for associations between previous interpersonal experiences and adult attachment and justify the inclusion of measures of attachment in future studies testing cognitive models of psychosis.