Insecure Attachment Research Articles

The Psychological Wellbeing among the Adults Raised in Children’s Homes in Kenya

The institutionalisation of children has been seen to increase the risk for emotional, developmental, cognitive and attachment disorders later in life. Transitioning out of institutionalised care and integrating into the outside world has been found to be a difficult experience for many care leavers. Some of them are not prepared to face the outside world, feel neglected and lack a support system. Some may experience socio-emotional distress owing to a lack of necessary social skills in life outside the institutions. The study purposed to assess the psychological wellbeing of adults who were raised in children’s homes and other institutional care in Kenya and had since transitioned out. The descriptive survey design was employed to undertake the quantitative data with a census approach used to sample 294 (F =154, M =140) respondents. Ryff’s scale of psychological wellbeing was the adapted research tool for data collection. The study results revealed that environmental mastery (M =23.46, SD = 7.47) was the highest-scored domain of psychological wellbeing. This was followed by personal growth (M = 23.14; SD = 7.52) and then purpose to life (M =20.74, SD = 6.58). The study had a mean of 21.31 (SD = 7.15), interpreted as being moderate psychological wellbeing among the care leavers. Based on the findings, organisations that support care leavers ought to create awareness and offer psychological support to care leavers. They can also collaborate with children’s homes and other stakeholders to offer periodic training on promoting psychological wellbeing among children in care and care leavers. This is especially so in regard to the poorly scored domains such as personal growth, autonomy, and self-acceptance

Adult Outcomes of Children With Reactive Attachment Disorder in a Non-Institutionalized Sample.

Adult Outcomes of Children With Reactive Attachment Disorder in a Non-Institutionalized Sample.

Sexual exchanges explain the association between attachment insecurities and sexual satisfaction in long-term couples.

Although attachment insecurity has been linked to sexual dissatisfaction in cross-sectional research, little is known about the mechanisms by which attachment is associated with sexual satisfaction over time. This study examined the role of attachment insecurities in sexual satisfaction over time using the Interpersonal Exchange Model of Sexual Satisfaction (IEMSS) as a theoretical framework. Participants were 151 Canadian mixed-gender couples in a long-term relationship (M = 9.7years) who completed questionnaires at two time points. The results demonstrate that sexual exchanges explained the associations between attachment insecurities (anxiety and avoidance) and sexual satisfaction in both men and women in long-term relationships, although the specific pathways differed by gender. These results are discussed in the context of the IEMSS and attachment theory.

성인초기 불안정 성인애착과 대인관계능력의 관계에서 정서인식명확성의 매개효과

Objectives This study was conducted to verify the mediating effect of emotion recognition clarity in the relation-ship between insecure adult attachment and interpersonal ability.
 Methods To this end, a total of 321 copies of data were finally analyzed online for unmarried adult men and women in their 20s and 30s. Based on the collected data, descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were performed using the SPSS 23 program, and structural models and mediating effects were verified using the AMOS 22.0 program.
 Results The results of this study are as follows: First, anxious attachment and avoidant attachment showed a negative correlation with emotional clarity and interpersonal ability. Emotion recognition clarity and interpersonal ability showed a positive correlation. Second, in the effect of anxious attachment on interpersonal ability, emotion recognition clarity showed a significant complete mediating effect. Third, in the effect of avoidant attachment on interpersonal ability, emotion recognition clarity showed a significant partial mediating effect. In other words, at-tachment insecurity directly affects interpersonal skills. Low emotional clarity can lead to low interpersonal skills, and attachment avoidance directly affects interpersonal skills, but low emotional clarity can reduce interpersonal relationships. It suggests that the ability may be lowered.
 Conclusions These research results indicate that anxious attachment and avoidant attachment affect inter-personal ability through emotional clarity, and that individuals with anxious attachment and avoidant attachment in early adulthood clearly understand their emotions experienced in interpersonal relationships. It is significant in suggesting the need for counseling intervention to improve interpersonal skills by helping to communicate well.

The Rating of Emotional Abuse in Childhood (REACH) Questionnaire: A new self-report measure assessing history of childhood emotional abuse

BackgroundA history of childhood emotional abuse (CEA) is prevalent among adults with affective disorders; therefore, a comprehensive measure of it is vital. The Rating of Emotional Abuse in Childhood Questionnaire (REACH) was developed to assess history of CEA in relation to parental behaviours of threat, ignoring, humiliation/denigration, scapegoating, antipathy, and overcontrol/conditionality in a single measure. This paper investigated the psychometric properties of REACH in a community sample and proposes values for classifying individuals as high-risk for CEA. MethodA convenience sample of N = 483 adults (Female, 78.3%) was recruited to complete questionnaires that included the REACH alongside measures of mental health, insecure attachment, emotion regulation, and childhood abuse. A subset of participants (n = 198) completed the REACH 7 days later. ResultsFactor analysis indicated a 2-factor model provided a good fit. Factors were named ‘threatening’ and ‘devaluing’. A total scale score of CEA was also recommended. The threatening, devaluing, and total scales demonstrated strong psychometric properties with high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity, while cutoff values for identifying a high-risk CEA group demonstrated good discriminant utility. ConclusionsThe results support REACH as a valid measure and suggest a history of CEA should be measured in relation to threatening and devaluing CEA as they represent unique dimensions of CEA even though they often co-occur.

Investigating a Common Structure of Personality Pathology and Attachment

Critical theoretical intersections between adult insecure attachment and personality disorders (PDs) suggest that they may overlap, but a lack of empirical analysis to date has limited further interpretation. The current study used a large sample ( N = 812) of undergraduates ( N = 355) and adults receiving psychological treatment ( N = 457) to test whether a joint hierarchical factor structure of personality pathology and insecure attachment is tenable. Results suggested that attachment and PD indicators load together on latent domains of emotional lability, detachment, and vulnerability, but antagonistic, impulsigenic, and psychosis-spectrum factors do not subsume attachment indicators. This solution was relatively consistent across treatment status but varied across gender, potentially suggesting divergent socialization of interpersonal problems. Although further tests are needed, if attachment and PDs prove to be unitary, combining them has exciting potential for providing an etiologic-developmental substrate to the classification of interpersonal dysfunction.

Press Play to Feel: The Role of Attachment Styles and Alexithymic Features in Problematic Gaming.

Problematic gaming has been consistently associated with insecure attachment styles and alexithymia. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the impact of specific alexithymic features and insecure attachment styles on problematic gaming. The study included a sample of 358 online game players (242 males, 67.6%) between the ages of 18 and 59 (M = 28.46; SD = 8.76) who were recruited from online gaming communities. The participants completed a sociodemographic schedule and measures on attachment styles, alexithymia, and problematic gaming. The results provide evidence for a positive prediction of problematic gaming by dismissing attachment style and the alexithymic factors concerning the difficulty identifying feelings and externally oriented thinking, even when controlling for potentially confounding factors, such as age, sex, education, marital status, and self-reported time devoted to online games. Additionally, the analysis revealed a significant interaction effect between externally oriented thinking and dismissing attachment style in the prediction of problematic gaming. The interaction implies that the alexithymia factors pertaining to externally oriented thinking hold significant relevance in predicting problematic gaming behaviors, especially in cases where dismissive attachment levels are moderately to highly present. These findings emphasize the significance of considering specific insecure attachment styles and alexithymic features when studying problematic gaming behaviors.

Relation between increasing attachment security and weight gain: a clinical study of adolescents and their parents at an outpatient ward

PurposeWe wanted to evaluate the impact of a relational focus in the treatment of adolescent ED-patients and their parents at an intensive outpatient ward, based on attachment theory, combined with a family approach and psychodynamic principles. Our aim was to investigate the distribution of different attachment styles among the adolescent ED-patients and their parents, and to find out if they could change by the treatment.MethodsSwedish adolescents (n = 33; 3 boys, 30 girls) and their parents (n = 60; 34 mothers, 26 fathers) participated. Measures: Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), Body Mass Index (BMI) and Children’s Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) before and after treatment.ResultsThe adolescents were high on Need for Approval (ASQ4) of the Insecure/Anxious scale before treatment (in contrast to the parents). The patients had a significant decrease in ASQ4 after treatment, which correlated inversely to the increase in BMI but not to CGAS. The mothers showed features of the Secure/Confident style, fathers of the Insecure/Avoidant with elevated Relationships as Secondary (ASQ2).ConclusionsTreatment with a relational and a family focus has impact on attachment insecurity in adolescent ED-patients and outcomes in terms of BMI. It is important to engage the parents, who need to help the adolescents to separate at that developmental stage. A secure therapeutic context, which enables mentalizations and allows new relational experiences, is essential. The ASQ-instrument is useful in indicating how the treatment of ED-adolescents is proceeding.Level of evidenceLevel IV: evidence obtained from multiple time series with the intervention.

Pathways from childhood trauma to aberrant salience: A structural equation approach to mentalization model.

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between affective disturbances and aberrant salience in the context of childhood trauma, attachment, and mentalization in an analogue study. Using a cross-sectional design, an online community sample completed self-report measures of key variables. Structural equation modelling was used to test childhood trauma's influence on aberrant salience via a set of intermediate risk factors (depression, negative schizotypy, and insecure attachment). These intermediate risk factors were assumed to lead to the proximal risk factors of aberrant salience (i.e., disorganized schizotypy and disorganized attachment) depending on the vulnerability of mentalizing capacity to elevated stress. The sample (N = 1263) was 78% female and aged between 18 and 35 years. The tested models closely fitted the observed data, revealing significant pathways from childhood trauma to aberrant salience via the hypothesized pathways. The direct effect of childhood trauma on aberrant salience was significant. Findings suggest that the pathway to aberrant salience may be characterized by disorganization of self-state and intersubjectivity as a function of diminishment in mentalizing ability. This may relate to changes in attachment organization and socio-cognitive capacity, which could constitute possible risk factors signalling development of aberrant salience.

Adult Attachment Styles of Adults Who Were Raised in Children’s Homes in Kenya

The type of care given during childhood has an impact on beliefs, attitudes, and expectations of future relationships. Being raised in a children’s home or other institutionalised care has been seen to increase the risk for emotional, cognitive, developmental and attachment disorders. Attachment styles are ways in which individuals emotionally connect or relate to others. The attachment style can either be secure, which is considered healthy or insecure which is considered unhealthy. The objective of this study was to find out the adult attachment styles among adults who were raised in children’s homes in Kenya. The study adopted the descriptive survey design, and 294 respondents were sampled via census approach. The questionnaire was used for data collection. The standardised revised Adult Attachment Scale was used to measure adult attachment styles. The results of the study showed that the anxious attachment style was the highest adult attachment style among the care leavers (M = 16.09, SD = 6.24), the secure attachment style (M = 15.90, SD = 4.91) and lastly, avoidant attachment (M = 12.63, SD = 4.14). On each of the attachment style domains, 42.9% had moderate secure attachment 78. % low avoidant attachment and 15.6% had a high anxious attachment style. Based on the findings, it is recommended that organisations supporting care leavers should facilitate periodic workshops on the impact of adult attachment style on care leavers in order to create awareness and provide support

Eye tracking shows no substantive relationships between individual differences related to aggression and visual attention to unambiguously violent stimuli

Social-cognitive theories of aggression stipulate that aggressive people have an attentional bias for aggressive and ambiguously aggressive cues. This biased social information processing is thought to occur from very basic attentional processes (encoding) through to higher order interpretative processes (representation). The present research was a detailed investigation into the relationships between aggression-related personality dimensions in young adults and attention toward images depicting general violence, intimate partner violence, and non-violent images. Participants completed measures of trait aggression, intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization, alcohol use, psychopathy, empathy, and insecure adult attachment. In a dual-picture free-viewing eye tracker paradigm, participants viewed three trial types for 2000 ms: general violence versus neutral cues; intimate partner violence versus neutral cues; and intimate partner violence versus general violence. Experiment 1 (N = 127) showed a few of the predicted relationships between the traits and attention, but Experiment 2 (N = 127) failed to replicate these findings and there was no overlap in significant results between studies. These data provide very little support for attentional biases in a healthy population toward unambiguously violent stimuli as a function of aggression-related traits.

Instrument-breast: A psychoanalytic view on musicians’ perception of instruments

ABSTRACT Playing music can be a form of symbolization and helpful in processing emotions. Research shows that therapists use music in clinical settings both as music therapy and as an adjunct therapy to talk therapy. However, unlike other forms of art, music is an objectless form of art, which makes it strikingly similar to inner subjective experiences. This means that the role musical instruments play to connect the two objectless sides is important but is difficult to define causation between the two. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative research was to understand the role of the musical instrument and the role it plays as the transitional object for adults; the instrument was used as the breast object, in line with Klein’s Object Relations Theory. There were 20 interviews with musicians of different ages, instruments, and skill levels to understand the experiences alongside the breast object. The results from the research reveal that participants anthropomorphized their musical instruments and subjectively perceived them as possessing parental attributes and the ones associated with romantic partners. The result can help inform therapists working with patients who have some musical skills to instill an endopsychic structure and repair the impacts of insecure attachment styles.

Retraction of Robinson et al. (2015).

Reports the retraction of "Crying as communication in psychotherapy: The influence of client and therapist attachment dimensions and client attachment to therapist on amount and type of crying" by Noah Robinson, Clara E. Hill and Dennis M. Kivlighan Jr. (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2015[Jul], Vol 62[3], 379-392). The following article is being retracted (https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000090). This retraction is at the request of coauthors Kivlighan and Hill after the results of an investigation by the University of Maryland Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB found that the study included data from between one and four therapy clients of the Maryland Psychotherapy Clinic and Research Laboratory (MPCRL) who either had not been asked to provide consent or had withdrawn consent for their data to be included in the research. Robinson was not responsible for obtaining and verifying participant consent but agreed to the retraction of this article. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2015-23479-001.) Nelson (2005) associated 3 types of crying (inhibited, protest, despair) with 3 dimensions of attachment (avoidant, anxious, and secure). To test this theory, trained judges rated the intensity of inhibition, protest, and despair in 347 crying episodes for 40 clients and 14 therapists in 1,074 psychotherapy sessions. Crying occurred once out of every 7 sessions, and usually was characterized by protest or inhibition. Pre-therapy attachment dimensions of both therapist and client influenced crying. Therapists with high attachment avoidance had clients who cried frequently but less over time, whereas therapists with high attachment anxiety had clients who cried with more protest over time. Clients with high attachment anxiety initially cried with more protest and inhibition, but decreased over time, whereas clients with low attachment anxiety increased protest over time. Throughout the course of psychotherapy, therapists who were seen by their clients as establishing a secure attachment elicited more overall crying and a higher intensity of protest, whereas therapists who were seen by their clients as establishing insecure attachments had clients who cried less. Clients who established a secure or avoidant relationship with their therapists, relative to other clients of that therapist, cried infrequently and with inhibition, whereas clients who established a preoccupied relationship cried relatively often. Changes are suggested for Nelson's (2005) typology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

대학생의 불안정 성인애착과 회복탄력성의 관계에서 미치는 사회적 지지의 매개효과

Objectives The purposes of this study is to examine the mediating effects of sosial support between uncertainty adult attachment and resilience of university students.
 Methods A total 389 students who randomly sampled responsed to the questionnaire at university in Gyeonggi-do. The study utilized Experience in Close Relationship-Revised(ECR-R), Social Support and Resilience questionnaire. For the collected data was used by the SPSS 24.0 program and reliability analysis, frequency analysis, descriptive statistics analysis, and correlation analysis were performed. Baron and Kenny's mediation analysis was conducted to verify the mediating effect of social support between uncertainty adult attachment and resilience.
 Results As a result of the correlation analysis of each variable, Both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance showed a statistically significant negative correlation with resilience, and both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance showed a statistically significant negative correlation with social support. In addition, social support was found to have a statistically positive correlation with resilience. Social support was found to play a partial mediating role in the relationship between insecure adult attachment and resilience.
 Conclusions Through this study, it was found that social support has a positive effect on resilience. And In order to improve resilience, the importance of the surrounding roles of family, friends, schools, and neighbors was found. In addition, even if there are no support resources in the family, the warm interest and heart of social members toward teenagers should come first.

Exploring the Relationship between Insecure Attachment Styles and Social Anxiety in Undergraduate Students

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the correlation between Avoidant and Anxious Attachment Styles and Social Anxiety, contributing to a deeper understanding of these interconnected factors among undergraduate students.
 Methodology: Convenient Sampling was used to recruit 350 participants aged 18-26 from Forman Christian College (FCCU) in Lahore, Pakistan. The study administered the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (R-AAS) for close relationships and the Social Anxiety Scale (SAS). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS v.20, with Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient, Simple Linear Regression, and Independent Sample t-Test applied.
 Findings: A statistically significant positive correlation was found between Anxious Attachment Style and Social Anxiety. Anxious Attachment Style was revealed to positively predict 19% variance in Social Anxiety with p value <.001. A significant gender difference was found among Social Anxiety and Anxious Attachment Style, but none among Avoidant Attachment Style.
 Implications: Practical implications include tailored clinical interventions and support groups for holistic treatment. Recognizing attachment styles can improve intimate relationships. Gender differences in social anxiety suggest women may need gender-sensitive therapy to address social challenges in education and careers.

Meningkatkan Kemampuan Regulasi Emosi melalui Pendekatan Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) secara Daring

Adverse childhood experiences, insecure attachment relationships with parents, the formation of negative self-perceptions, and maladaptive emotional regulation can form strong risk factors for difficulties in emotional regulation and the diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Several interventions can be used, including the Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) approach. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of online DBT intervention in adolescents who experience difficulties in emotion regulation and already have a tendency to depressive symptoms. The participant is a teenage girl aged 17 years and 7 months. The research design is a single-case experimental design. The intervention consisted of 1 pre-intervention session, 8 DBT intervention sessions, 1 post-intervention session, and 1 follow-up session. Quantitative analysis was carried out by comparing scores from the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) given before and after the intervention. The results showed that quantitatively there was a decrease in scores of difficulties in emotion regulation, depressive symptoms, and distress faced by the participant compared to before intervention. Qualitatively, emotion regulation skills change in a more positive and adaptive direction.

Mediating role of splitting in relation to attachment styles and shopping addiction.

Shopping can provide a sense of satisfaction and pleasure; however, if a person's excessive involvement in this behavior starts to negatively impact other aspects of their life, similar to other addictive behaviors like excessive internet use, gaming, and gambling, it may be classified as pathological. Given the lack of agreement regarding the classification of excessive shopping tendencies as a separate mental health condition or addictive behavior, taking a socio-emotional approach to explore the psychological factors that precede this behavior, may offer a better comprehension of it. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between attachment styles and excessive shopping behavior, as well as to investigate the potential mediating effect of defense mechanisms like splitting on this relationship. Using convenience sampling, a group of 457 stock market employees (116 female, 341 male) between the ages of 24 and 60 were recruited. The researchers utilized a set of validated psychological questionnaires to assess the employees attachment styles, shopping addiction, and splitting tendencies. The results obtained from both the mediation model and path analysis suggest that attachment styles do not have a direct relationship with shopping addiction. Nonetheless, the study supports the impact of insecure anxious and avoidan attachment styles on splitting. Furthermore, the findings confirm that splitting has a mediating effect on the relationship between attachment styles and splitting. The present study enhanced our comprehension of the subconscious mechanisms underlying shopping tendencies. Specifically, the findings suggest that excessive tendencies towards shopping can be considered a maladaptive response resulting from insecure attachment styles and the unconscious utilization of the splitting defense mechanism.

Friendship attachment style, intolerance of uncertainty, and psychological distress among unaccompanied immigrant minors in times of COVID-19.

This cross-sectional study used a convergent parallel mixed-method design to investigate friendship attachment style, intolerance of uncertainty, and psychological distress among unaccompanied immigrant minors (UIMs) during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Participants were 80 male UIMs (Mage = 17 years, standard deviation = 0.84) hosted in residential care communities. Individual interviews comprising questionnaires and open-ended questions assessed the constructs of interest. Qualitative data were analyzed through thematic content analysis, whereas descriptive statistics and regression analysis were computed on quantitative data. Several UIMs mentioned positive relationships with peers, but more than half also felt reluctant to trust others and build new friendships due to events experienced before and during migration. However, in quantitative data, 69% identified themselves with the secure friendship attachment style. Regarding intolerance of uncertainty, participants expressed feelings of worry about the pandemic, but also emphasized their resources in terms of confidence, optimism, and planning skills, as well as being accustomed to uncertainty; indeed, levels of this variable were low-to-medium. In regression analysis, insecure attachment and higher intolerance of uncertainty were each associated with greater psychological distress. Moreover, psychological distress was lower among securely attached UIMs with low (vs. high) levels of intolerance of uncertainty. The findings suggest that, even in conditions of societal insecurity, UIMs display resilience and employ effective coping strategies; however, a lack of trust in peer relationships and the inability to tolerate uncertainty may undermine their psychological adjustment. Implications for developmental theory and practice are discussed.

Spiritual Pathology Theory of the Sound Heart Model: Socio-Cultural Factors of Spiritual Distress

Introduction: Spiritual Pathology is the study of disturbing factors in the relationship between man and God, the process of disruption in secure attachment to God, which causes spiritual distress in relation to self, people, and the world of creation.Areas covered: Balbi defines attachment as deep emotional bond with special people in life, whose interaction brings security, joy and happiness, and their presence brings peace in times of stress. Kirkpatrick generalized the style of attachment to parents to attachment to God. Expert opinion: In the Sound Heart Model, worship is natural need. The basis of religion is secure attachment to God. Secure attachment to God is belief in the presence and sufficiency of God, as a responsive safe haven. The basis of attachment to God is positive image of God and “recognizing the truth of religion” by the Prophet. The Prophet, as interpreter of Qur’an and spiritual role-model, has healthy spiritual personality. Acceptance of religion, at the time of intellectual maturity, should be done without imitation and coercion, based on knowing the truth of religion, with a free and informed choice. Spiritual pathology is the study of socio-cultural factors that cause misunderstanding of religion, negative image of God and insecure attachment to God.

Primary care physicians' experience of caring for children with parents with mental health illness: a qualitative study among French general practitioners and paediatricians

BackgroundParental psychiatric disorders can have a significant impact on child development and the parent-infant bond, with a high risk of attachment disorders. Early identification of difficulties in the parent–child relationship is essential to prevent consequences for the child. Childcare practitioners have a major role to play in this early detection process, through regular mandatory consultations during the first two years of a child's life. Thus, the aim of this study was to collect the experience of private practitioners in their care of children of parents with a mental health illness.MethodThis is a cross-sectional, observational, qualitative study. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews with eleven general practitioners and private paediatricians between February and July 2021 in Toulouse and its suburbs. We only included practitioners who had followed children of parents with a mental health illness. The interviews were recorded with the agreement of the participants, before being transcribed anonymously. The data were analysed with NVivo software using interpretative phenomenological analysis.ResultsThree main themes emerged from the results, which were further divided into several sub-themes. Addressing psychiatric disorders presents a risk for the therapeutic relationship. Practitioners express a need to preserve this relationship with the parent in joint care. Care is difficult and is permeated by the parents' emotional issues. Furthermore, practitioners face a conflict between their concerns for the parent–child bond and their desire not to stigmatise these families. They express a feeling of isolation in these follow-ups. This stressful care has a significant emotional impact on the doctors. Access to psychiatric training and multidisciplinary collaboration seem to be essential to improve the follow-up experience for practitioners, as these factors strengthen inter-professional connections.ConclusionPractitioners describe a parent-doctor relationship at risk, which is underpinned by the fear of care placement. This study illustrates the need to strengthen multidisciplinary work by promoting interprofessional exchanges, in order to improve the experience of practitioners in this care process. Addressing practitioners’ fear of discussing parental psychiatric illness is very important, so as not to delay the implementation of preventive actions that are likely to improve the developmental prognosis for children.