Abstract
Introduction: This study was conducted in order to compare the attachment styles of the patients suffering from major depression disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) with those of the healthy people. Methods: In this case-control study, a total number of 60 male/female patients with MDD and OCD were categorized into three 20-subject groups, then 20 healthy people were included in one control group. The study instruments were Hazan and Shaver's Attachment Style Questionnaire (version 1993), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI), Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The data were analyzed using chi-square test. Results: There was a significant difference between the attachment styles of the healthy people and the patients suffering from MDD (P < 0.001), OCD (P = 0.013) and GAD (P = 0.013). Moreover, a significant difference was observed between the attachment styles of patients with MDD, OCD (P = 0.012) and GAD (P = 0.010). These findings indicated that patients with MDD were more insecurely attached in comparison to patients with OCD and GAD. However, there was no significant difference between the attachment styles of patients with OCD and GAD (P = 0.089). Conclusion: This study indicated that there was a significant difference between the attachment styles of patients with MDD, OCD, and GAD, and the healthy people. This finding indicates that in the etiology of mental disorders, the effects of attachment styles should not be disregarded.
Highlights
There was a significant difference between the attachment styles of the healthy people and the patients suffering from major depression disorder (MDD) (P < 0.001), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (P = 0.013) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) (P = 0.013)
This study indicated that there was a significant difference between the attachment styles of patients with MDD, OCD, and GAD, and the healthy people
The present study aims to compare the attachment styles of the patients with MDD, OCD, and GAD with those of the healthy people
Summary
To examine the first research hypothesis claiming that there is a difference between the attachment styles of the patients with MDD and those with OCD, chi-square test was used. At P = 0.011, with χ2 = 7.54, and df = 2, there was a significant difference between the two groups in attachment style, and the patients with MDD were generally more insecure than those with GAD (Table 2). Examining the third hypothesis claiming that there is a difference between the attachment styles of patients with GAD and those with OCD indicated that out of the total number of patients with GAD, 52 percent had secure attachment style, 34 percent had anxious/ambivalent attachment style, and 14 percent had avoidant attachment style. Examining the fourth hypothesis claiming that there is a difference between the attachment styles of the patients with MDD and the attachment styles of the healthy people showed that out of the total number of patients with MDD, 24 percent had secure
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