Attachment Style Dimensions Research Articles

Attachment avoidance and anxiety impacting dyadic coping and communication in patients with metastatic sarcoma and their family caregivers.

e24002 Background: In research, how people act in close relationships is described as “attachment styles” which are composed of multiple attachment style dimensions (ASDs). Attachment avoidance is characterized by the need to isolate from the relationship (i.e. withdrawing and increased independence) while attachment anxiety is defined as needing reassurance and higher dependence. These two insecure ASDs are correlated with reduced quality of life for cancer patients (PT) and the family caregivers (CG). In ovarian cancer, PT and CG ASDs were correlated to dyadic coping, however 27% of PTs were disease-free. Attachment insecurity may be exacerbated by active treatment and uncertain prognosis. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between ASDs, and CG and PT reported dyadic coping and illness-specific communication. Methods: Metastatic sarcoma PTs and their CGs were recruited prospectively for a longitudinal, survey study investigating dyadic coping at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center from Feb. 2022 – Dec. 2022. Participation rate for eligible PTs was 42% and 68% for CGs. Results are of participants who identified as intimate partners (individuals and dyads were allowed to participate). Attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety were measured via Relationship Structures Questionnaire. Dyadic coping and communication were measured via Dyadic Coping Inventory and Illness-Specific Relationship Talk (ISRT), respectively. Results: Sixty-nine participants enrolled: 43 PTs and 26 CGs (25 dyads). Participants were primarily non-Hispanic and white (91% PTs; 85% CG) with mean age 64 years ( SD= 13.1; range = 26-89). 61% of PTs identified as men; 60% of CGs identified as women. CGs with attachment anxiety were more likely to report worse coping and less ISRT, while PTs with attachment anxiety were more likely to report only worse coping (See Table 1). However, PTs with attachment avoidance were more likely to report both worse coping and ISRT. Conclusions: Advance cancer PTs and their CGs with insecure ASDs report worse coping and communication. Screening for insecure ASDs may identify PTs and CGs who would benefit from supportive care, including psychotherapy. Future research should investigate this in a larger, more heterogenous population at earlier in the rare cancer trajectory and the effect of ASDs on PT, CG, and clinician communication. [Table: see text]

Attachment styles, coping with stress, and social support among cancer patients.

This paper presents the role of attachment style in determining an individual's way of coping with stress, which in turn helps to understand the differences in response and adjustment to cancer among cancer patients. Cancer is an illness that causes overwhelming distress, and dealing with it requires social support, among other coping strategies. Studies show that social support is associated with a decrease in psychological symptoms and a better quality of life in cancer patients. According to attachment theory, one's perception of threat, way of signaling distress, and strategies of coping with it, with special consideration for the ability to use a partner's support, relies on differences in avoidance and anxiety (attachment style dimensions). People with high avoidance (associated with deactivating attachment strategy) tend not to seek support from others and rely on themselves. People with high anxiety (associated with deactivating attachment strategy) tend to display strong emotional responses, permanently seek attention and support from others, and yet are less able to feel comforted by them.

Attachment style dimensions are associated with neural activation during projection of mental states.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between attachment dimensions and neural correlates in response to the Rorschach inkblots. Twenty-seven healthy volunteers were recruited for the electroencephalographic registration during a visual presentation of the Rorschach inkblots and polygonal shapes. The Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) was administered to participants. Correlations between the ASQ scores and standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) intensities were performed. The Rorschach inkblots elicited several projective responses greater than the polygonal shapes (distortions, human and total movements, and embellishments). Only during the Rorschach inkblots presentation, discomfort with closeness and relationships as secondary subscales were negatively correlated with the activation of right hippocampus, parahippocampus, amygdala, and insula; need for approval subscale was negatively correlated with the activation of orbital and prefrontal cortex and left hippocampus. Moreover, the correlations between attachment dimensions and neural activation during the Rorschach inkblots were significantly higher compared to the same correlations in response to polygonal shapes. These findings suggest that attachment style can modulate brain activation during the projective activity of the Rorschach inkblots.

Career satisfaction, subjective well-being and turnover intention: an attachment style perspective

PurposeOn the basis of an attachment style perspective, the authors explored a moderated mediation model in which career satisfaction reduces employees' turnover intention by enhancing subjective well-being; this mediated relationship would be moderated by three dimensions of attachment style as follows: secure, counterdependent and overdependent.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 192 employees in South Korea and hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis and the PROCESS macro for SPSS.FindingsSubjective well-being mediated the relationship between career satisfaction and turnover intention. The indirect relationship between career satisfaction and turnover intention through subjective well-being was significant only when employees had high-secure attachment and low-counterdependent and -overdependent attachment styles.Practical implicationsOn the basis of the authors' findings that not all employees' subjective well-being translates into a lower level of turnover intention despite being satisfied with their career, the study suggests that organizations should pay more attention to how the subjective well-being of employees can be enhanced in relation to their career by considering their attachment styles.Originality/valueThe study contributes to deepening the understanding of the mechanism of when and how career satisfaction reduces turnover intention by integrating subjective well-being and attachment styles that have been neglected in prior research.

The Moderating Effect of Attachment Styles on the Relationship Between Celebrity Credibility and Brand Attachment

The current study aims to address the triadic relationship among the celebrity endorser, consumer and brand. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of moderating role of attachment style dimensions on the relationship between the celebrity endorser traits and brand attachment. This study applies associative network theory and attachment theory to build the theoretical framework of the study. Data were gathered using a sample of 484 respondents. AMOS was used to employ structural equation modelling to test the hypotheses of the study. The results of the study reveal that celebrity expertise and trustworthiness are likely to enhance consumer brand attachment, whereas celebrity attractiveness does not lead to building brand attachment. It also discloses that both the dimensions of attachment style, namely anxiety and avoidance, have a moderating impact on the relationship between celebrity endorser traits and brand attachment. This study provides multiple implications for the marketing practitioners and academicians.

Mother-child interactions among children with visual impairment: Addressing maternal attachment style, depression-anxiety symptoms, and child's behavioral problems.

The birth of a visually impaired child leads to stress, disappointment, and medical challenges for the family due to the economic and financial costs, unmet expectations of other family members, and social embarrassment-isolation of the family from society. In these families, mothers are exposed to the stressors more often than other family members, because, in most families, they are the primary caregivers. In this study, we examined the relationship between maternal attachment styles, maternal depression and anxiety levels, and behavioral problems of children with visual impairment. This is a case-control study. In the study group, there were 35 children with visual impairment, and in the control group, there were 31 healthy children. All mothers completed adult attachment style dimensions scales, beck depression, and anxiety inventories, and the aberrant behaviour checklist. Our results demonstrated that children with visual impairment have higher levels of behavior problems including irritability, stereotypic behavior, and inappropriate speech when compared with healthy controls. Contrary to our expectations depression and anxiety, scores of mothers were similar, also, there was not a difference in terms of maternal attachment types. Interestingly, there was a positive relationship between secure attachment and depression among mothers of the visual impairment group. In other words, securely attached mothers were more depressive. On the other hand, there was a positive relationship between anxious/ambivalent attachment and the child's irritability. The relationship between maternal depression and secure attachment could be a consequence of higher maternal sensitivity due to a child's impairment and should be evaluated in future studies.

Attachment Style and Insight in Schizophrenia: a Cross-Sectional Study.

Attachment theory provides a model for understanding impairments in social and interpersonal functioning. Schizophrenia is a neuropsychiatry disorder frequently associated with compromised social functioning and limited social support networks. However, the relationship between attachment style and psychopathology dimensions, including insight, isn't fully understood To determine whether there is a relationship between the attachment style and markers for severity of schizophrenia and insight. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 41 patients with schizophrenia and 34 patients with non-psychotic disorders used as a control group. Patients were assessed using semi-structured diagnostic interviews and self-reporting questionnaires, including Adult Attachment Scale-Revised. The schizophrenia group was also given the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the Markova and Berrios Insight Scale. Insecure attachment was overrepresented in the schizophrenic group, and this difference was mainly accounted for lower levels of dependence, representing a moderate effect size (Cohen's d = 0.32). In the schizophrenia group, the closeness and the dependence subscale were negatively correlated with psychopathology severity. Using a multiple regression analysis, the insight was predicted by attachment anxiety, accounting for 20% of the total variance (R2 = 0.199, p <0.05). Our data confirm previous evidence that insecure attachment is associated with schizophrenia and suggest that the less comfortable the patient is with closeness and intimacy the greater the severity of symptoms. Furthermore, our findings indicate that higher separation anxiety might predict a better insight.

Not Just for Adults: Using the Triarchic Model of Psychopathy to Inform Developmental Models of Conduct Problems in Adolescence

The triarchic model of psychopathy was advanced to reconcile differing historic conceptions of this condition and alternative approaches for assessing it. The current study was undertaken to expand the empirical evidence base for the triarchic model by examining its correlates in adolescents, with measures of particular relevance to developmental theories of antisocial behavior. Self-report scales assessing the triarchic constructs were administered along with measures of conduct problems, callous-unemotional traits, attachment style dimensions, negative emotionality, and hyperactivity/inattention to 608 Italian adolescents (272 girls; M age = 16.70 years). The disinhibition dimension of the triarchic model was related most highly to general externalizing outcomes, such as conduct problems and hyperactivity-inattention, in this adolescent sample. The meanness dimension was selectively related to callous-unemotional traits and other measures of limited prosocial emotions and to affiliation motives that emphasize social gain. Triarchic boldness was associated with greater emotional stability and greater confidence in peer relationships. Of interest, an interaction between meanness and boldness was evident in predicting a lower need to understand one’s own and others’ emotions. These results provide a valuable illustration of the potential of the triarchic model to help advance developmental models of antisocial behavior in youth. Public Significance Statement This study examined how dimensions of psychopathy described by the triarchic model relate to measures of problem behaviors and affective-interpersonal style in an adolescent sample. Scores on the three triarchic dimensions—disinhibition, meanness, and boldness—showed meaningful contrasting relations with conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, callous-unemotional traits, emotional proclivities, and attachment style dimensions. This work illustrates how the triarchic model conceptualization can help advance developmental models of the emergence of antisocial behavior.

A pilot study on the relationships between language, personality and attachment styles: A linguistic analysis of descriptive speech

The present exploratory study investigated possible relationships between language and personality, attachment styles, and mindfulness disposition. Sixty-three participants were assessed through the Big-Five inventory questionnaire, the Attachment Style Questionnaire, and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, and then they were asked to look at a picture story and describe it. Narrations were analyzed through a multilevel approach: the number of verbal units and information units reported were counted; the Type/Token Ratio, disfluencies and errors of cohesion were also calculated. Results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that mindfulness and Extraversion were positively related to the number of information units reported about the story. Two dimensions of anxious attachment style presented opposite patterns of association with language expression: individuals high in Need for Approval tended to be more descriptive, while participants high in Preoccupation with Relationships reported less information. Results suggest that individuals’ personality, relational histories, and self-awareness may significantly influence their verbal production.

Personality traits of the alternative DSM-5 model and the attachment dimensions in Portuguese adults

Attachment experiences have been acknowledged as playing a fundamental role in personality functioning and psychopathology development across the lifespan. Although previous research has examined the associations between attachment styles/dimensions and personality traits, it has not focused on the maladaptive personality traits included in Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). The current study aimed to explore the associations and gender differences between the maladaptive personality traits of the Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders and the two dimensions of adult attachment style (Anxiety and Avoidance). A socio-demographic questionnaire and the Portuguese adaptations of the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) and the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR) were applied to 106 Portuguese adults in a nonclinical sample. Gender differences in some personality traits, but not in the attachment dimensions, were found. Negative Affectivity particularly associated with Attachment Anxiety and Detachment especially correlated with Attachment Avoidance for both males and females. Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance were also found to account for less than half of the variance in all DSM-5 domains. These results appear to reinforce that attachment is closely related to personality and psychopathology. Limitations, future directions and clinical implications are discussed.

The relationship between attachment styles and internalizing/externalizing problems: The mediating role of self-criticism

Many recent studies have explored the potential links between attachment style dimensions, personality vulnerability factors for psychopathology, and psychological and behavioral problems, particularly those along the internalizing and externalizing spectrum. However, previous studies have not examined these links within a structural equation model that can examine multiple predictors and outcomes, and therefore have not fully investigated the specificity of links between these factors. This cross-sectional study examined the mediating role of self-criticism in the relationship between attachment style dimensions and internalizing and externalizing problems. The sample included 420 nonclinical adolescents aged 14–20 years who were recruited in school settings and completed self-reported measures of attachment style dimensions (Attachment Style Questionnaire), self-criticism (Depressive Experiences Questionnaire), and internalizing and externalizing problems (Youth Self-Report). Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed mediation model and to ascertain direct and indirect effects among study variables. Results shown that self-criticism mediated the link between both attachment avoidance and anxiety, and internalizing problems. Results were not moderated by gender. Results suggest that self-criticism is associated with psychopathology during adolescence, and accounts for the associations of attachment style dimensions with internalizing and externalizing problems.

Italian adaptation of the brief modified experiences in close relationships scale in a sample of cancer patients: factor analysis and clinical implications.

Many previous studies have indicated that the attachment pattern developed during infancy shapes the adult attachment style, which in turn affects responses to stress and help-seeking behaviors. It may be relevant within clinical contexts to have easy-to-administer and rapid tools aimed to investigate attachment dimensions. The current study presents the Italian adaptation of the Brief Modified Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR-M16) – a self-reported measure of the attachment-style dimensions with reference to close others – and assesses its factorial structure. The questionnaire was administered to cancer outpatients. The number of factors to be extracted was calculated via parallel analysis. Subsequently, an exploratory factor analysis was run to calculate the first-order factor structure, which was compared to the original one via Procrustes rotation and Tucker’s coefficient. Finally, a second-order factor structure was calculated by factor analyzing the first-order factor scores. The Italian adaptation of the ECR-M16 is characterized by a first-order factor structure comprising four factors, like the original. The degree of similarity between the two ranges between fair and dissimilar. The second-order factor structure comprises two higher order dimensions, like in the original study. Although partially similar, the two second-order factor structures show relevant differences. A clinically oriented discussion centered on the similarities and differences between the two factor structures is provided, along with indications for future studies.

Attachment and motivational systems: Relevance of sensitivity to punishment for eating disorder psychopathology

An altered balance of reward and inhibition systems may explain Eating Disorder (ED) behaviors and could be related to difficulties in socio-emotional processing. According to attachment theory, early interaction with caregivers affects the ability to regulate emotion in adult interpersonal situation. The aim of our study was to investigate if insecure attachment may be related to ED symptomatology through changes in reward and inhibition systems.Seventy-eight people affected by EDs and 45 healthy controls (HC) filled in the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), the Behavioral Inhibition System-Behavioral Activation System Scale (BIS-BAS) and the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2) questionnaire.ED people reported significantly higher scores than HC in EDI-2 scores, all dimensions of insecure attachment style and sensitivity to punishment (BIS score). In ED patients, ASQ anxiety scores correlated with almost all EDI-2 subscores and sensitivity to punishment. The association between anxious attachment style and ED symptomatology (drive to thinness and body dissatisfaction) was totally mediated by an indirect effect of sensitivity to punishment.These findings suggest, for the first time, increased sensitivity to punishment as a pathway that may explain the relationship between anxious attachment and ED symptomatology highlighting the relevance to target social experiences as an important psychotherapeutic focus.

Sharing information about cancer with one's family is associated with improved quality of life.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between cancer patients' ability to share information about their illness with their social network and attachment style dimensions, alexithymia, and quality of life. We hypothesised that ability to share information about one's cancer with family, friends, and medical teams would be positively associated with quality of life and secure attachment and negatively associated with alexithymia. Forty-five cancer patients were recruited from the Psycho-oncology Unit of the San Camillo-Forlanini Hospital in Rome. We collected anamnestic data and self-report data on social sharing ability, quality of life, alexithymia, and attachment. Sharing with family (B=4.66; SE=1.82; β=.52; SE=0.20; t(41)=2.6; P=.0143) was the only predictor of global health status, and attachment security was the only predictor of mean social sharing (B=0.25; SE=0.06; β=.63; SE=0.14; t(41)=4.4; P<.0001). Encouraging patients to share information about their experience of cancer may help to improve their quality of life. Attachment security seems to promote social sharing. Psychological assessments of cancer patients should cover both ability to share information about one's cancer with family and attachment security.

Gambling Disorder and Affect Regulation: The Role of Alexithymia and Attachment Style.

The aim of the present study was to explore the dimensions of alexithymia and attachment styles in a group of disordered gamblers and to evaluate the relationship between alexithymia, attachment styles, and the severity of gambling disorder. Sixty disordered gamblers diagnosed according to the diagnostic and statistical manual-5 filled out the Kurzfragebogen zum Glücksspielverhalten, the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised. Approximately 70% of the sample displayed 'intermediate' and 'severe' gambling severity levels on the Kurzfragebogen zum Glücksspielverhalten, and 77% showed 'high' or 'borderline' levels of alexithymia on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (mean=56.40). Regarding attachment styles, 70% of the sample displayed an 'insecure' attachment, with a particularly high prevalence of the 'fearful' style (26.66%). A linear regression analysis revealed that only the anxiety dimension of the Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire predicted the severity of gambling. Our data appear to confirm that gambling disorder is characterised by emotional and relational dysregulation, and that pathological gambling behaviours may serve as external regulators of internal undifferentiated emotional states.

Mediating Role of Resilience in Relationship Between Attachment Style Dimensions and Quality of Life in High School Students

Background: One of the most fundamental constructs in the positive psychology is the quality of life. Quality of life refers to the emotional, social and physical health of individuals and their ability to do daily activities. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of resilience in relationship between attachment styles and quality of life. Materials and Methods: The population of the study consisted of all male and female high school students in Babolsar, Iran, in the academic year 2014 - 2015. Participants included 367 high school students (226 females and 141 males) from Babolsar city, Iran, selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method. Participants completed attachment styles, quality of life and resilience scales. The research conceptual model was analyzed and assessed using simultaneous sequential regression method and the steps proposed by Baron and Kenny (1986). All analyses were performed by SPSS ver. 22 software. Results: The obtained results showed that: 1) the secure attachment style was a positive predictor of resilience (P < 0.01) and quality of life (P < 0.01); 2) the insecure attachment avoidant style was a negative predictor of resilience (P < 0.01) and the insecure attachment ambivalent style was a negative predictor of resilience (P < 0.01) and quality of life (P < 0.01); 3) the resilience was a positive predictor of quality of life (P < 0.01); 4) the resilience played the role of a partial mediator between insecure attachment ambivalent style and quality of life; 5) the resilience was a complete mediator between secure attachment style and quality of life. Conclusions: This finding confirms the resiliency theory indicating that secure families bring up children resiliently and increase the quality of their lives.

Dimensions de personnalité, style d’attachement et schémas précoces d’inadaptation chez des patients alcoolo-dépendants : quelles sont les spécificités liées au sexe ?

AimLiterature reports particularities in certain psychological dimensions, such as personality traits, early maladaptive schemas and attachment styles among patients dependent on alcohol. Several international studies have also emphasized significant gender differences in psychological profiles. However, in France, only a few studies have dealt with this subject. Our aim was on the one hand to study the characteristics of alcohol-dependent patients in these variables, and on the other hand to search for gender differences. MethodThe personality dimensions were assessed with the French Big Five Inventory (Fr-BFI), the attachment style with Bartholomew's Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ), and early maladaptive schemas with the short version of Young's questionnaire (YSQ-S1). Seventy-three subjects were included: 39 alcohol-dependent patients (19 men and 20 women) and 34 healthy control subjects (17 men and 17 women). The scores of alcohol-dependent patients were compared with those of a healthy control group (n=34, 17 men, 17 women) and available standards. We also compared the scores of men and women with alcohol dependence between them, and we compared the scores of men and women to those of the control group and those of the reference sample of the same sex. ResultsThis is an ongoing study and we publish here the first results. Compared with control subjects, and the reference sample, alcohol-dependent patients showed significantly higher levels of neuroticism and lower levels of extraversion. Furthermore, differences in attachment styles were observed compared to the control group: alcohol-dependent patients presented a less secure attachment, seemed more fearful and detached, but the results remained within the normal standards. Compared to the control subjects, alcohol-dependent patients showed a significant increase in scores regarding many schemas: emotional deprivation, abandonment, abuse/mistrust, isolation, imperfection, dependence, symbiotic relationship, subjugation, and emotional inhibition. Men and women with alcohol dependence did not show a significant difference between them concerning the dimensions of personality, the schemas, and attachment styles. In addition, the comparison of each sub-group (male/female) with the control group of the same sex and standards available showed specific features: for dimensions of personality, alcohol-dependent men presented a high level of neuroticism and a low level of extraversion, while the women showed no specific features. Concerning attachment, both men and women differed from the control group. Their attachment was more fearful and men showed a less secure and more detached attachment. As for patterns, three are higher among men and women with alcohol dependence compared to controls of the same sex: emotional deprivation, abuse/mistrust, and imperfection. In addition, these schemas seem to be more specific according to gender: alcoholic women differed from controls of the same sex at the subjugation schema, which was not the case for men, while only men differed from men of the control group by higher scores in insufficient self-control, dependency and symbiotic relationship. DiscussionThis study shows not only particularities in patients with alcohol dependence concerning personality dimensions, styles of attachment and early maladaptive schemas, but also gender differences when comparing each subgroup (men and women) with controls of the same sex. Even if these results need to be confirmed by using a larger sample, the particularities deserve consideration, especially gender differences in view of appropriate psychotherapeutic strategies.

Attachment style dimensions are associated with brain activity in response to gaze interaction

Aim of the present study was to investigate the time course of brain processes involved in the visual perception of different gaze interactions in woman–child dyads and the association between attachment dimensions and brain activation during the presentation of gaze interactions. The hypothesis was that the woman avoidance will produce a greater activation of primary somatosensory and limbic areas. The attachment styles dimensions avoidant-related will be associated with fronto-limbic brain intensity during the convergence of gaze. Electroencephalogram (EEG) data were recorded using a 256-channel HydroCel Geodesic Sensor Net in 44 female subjects (age: 24 ± 2 years). Event-related potential (ERP) components and standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) were analyzed. Participants were administered the attachment style questionnaire before EEG task. A lower P350 latency was found in the fronto-central montage in response to woman avoidance. sLORETA analysis showed a greater intensity of limbic and primary somatosensory areas in response to woman avoidance compared to the others gaze interactions. In response to convergence gaze, the confidence attachment dimension was negatively correlated with the intensities of the right temporal and limbic areas, and the relationships as secondary attachment dimension were positively correlated with the intensities of the bilateral frontal areas and of the left parietal area.

Adult attachment styles and negativistic beliefs about the social world: The role of self-image and other-image

AbstractThis article is concerned with the relationship between adult attachment styles and generalized negativistic social beliefs (i.e. pessimistic expectations concerning human nature and interpersonal relations). Two general dimensions of attachment styles, avoidance and anxiety, are considered to be manifestations of an individual’s image of other people and of the self, respectively. We suggest that both dimensions may be a substantial basis for formulating negative beliefs about the social world. Firstly, we believe that a high level of negativistic social beliefs can be positively predicted by the growth of avoidance (negative image of others) and anxiety (negative image of self). Secondly, we formulate an expected interaction effect. Although the nature of such an interaction is ambiguous, it may be argued as having a synergistic as well as antagonistic pattern. These hypotheses were tested and supported (in favor of an antagonistic pattern of interaction in the case of the second hypothesis) on a representative sample of adult Poles (N = 853).

Attachment style dimensions can affect prolonged grief risk in caregivers of terminally ill patients with cancer.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the predictive role of attachment dimensions on the risk of prolonged grief. Sixty caregivers of 51 terminally ill patients with cancer who had been admitted in a hospice were selected. Caregivers were interviewed using Attachment Scale Questionnaire, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Prolonged Grief Disorder 12 (PG-12). The consort caregivers showed higher PG-12 level compared to the sibling caregivers. Anxiety, depression, need for approval, and preoccupation with relationships levels were significantly correlated with PG-12 scores. Female gender, high levels of depression, and preoccupation with relationships significantly predicted higher levels of prolonged grief risk.