The Relationship between Attachment Styles, Emotional Dysregulation, and Metacognitive Functions in Patients with Personality Disorders

Abstract

This survey describes the data of 60 adults in treatment for a mental health problem, referring to three parameters: attachment, alexithymia and metacognitive functions. In order to investigate the relationship between the psychological features mentioned above in patients with Emotional Disorders, they have been grouped into the three Clusters operationally defined in DSM-5: Cluster A (the “odd, eccentric” Cluster), Cluster B (the “dramatic, emotional, erratic” Cluster), and Cluster C (the “anxious, fearful” Cluster). We conducted a two-step analysis: firstly, a preliminary exploratory analysis based on non-parametric tests; then, in order to investigate the structure of the relationship among the instrumental variables, we applied Spearman’s rho correlation for each cluster. As we expected, patients with Cluster C Personality Disorder score lower rates of disorganized attachment (lower levels of anxiety attachment and avoidance attachment), lower levels in emotional dysregulation (Alexithymia), and a little higher levels in metacognitive functioning than the other two groups (Cluster A and B). Furthermore, there is a relationship between attachment styles and some specific typologies of disorders: indeed, while preoccupied attachment seems to be a specific feature of patients with Cluster C personality disorders, most of Cluster A and B patients showing the most dysfunctional pattern, the Fearful Avoidant attachment. Finally, Spearman’s rho correlation indicates statistically significant correlations in patients with Cluster A personality disorders between the inability to identify and describe emotions and the ability to understand others’ Emotional States.