Experiences In Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire Research Articles

Attachment styles and healthcare utilization: exploring the role of the patient-doctor relationship

BackgroundWith the purpose of improving healthcare, past research has examined the link between healthcare utilization and attachment. It is suggested that an individual’s attachment style influences both the quality of their patient-physician relationship and healthcare utilization patterns. Nevertheless, most studies concentrate on the individual aspect, overlooking the dyadic dimension; specifically, the investigation of how insecure attachment relates to health behavior within patient-physician relationships. This gap leaves the role of the patient-doctor relationship in this process unclear. Therefore, to elucidate this complex interplay, we hypothesized that the correlation between attachment and healthcare utilization is mediated by the quality of the patient-physician-relationship.MethodParticipant selection was based on electoral districts, a random-route procedure, and the Kish selection grid. The participants were visited by a trained interviewer who collected psychometric and sociodemographic information. Participants answered the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire (ECR-RD8) and the Patient-Doctor Relationship Questionnaire (PDRQ-9). Additionally, participants were asked about their healthcare utilization. The final sample consisted of N = 2.275 participants.ResultsIn average the participants reported consulting their primary health care practitioner M(SD) = 4.44 (4.76) times in the past 12 months. Generally, the participants rated the quality of the relationship with their primary health care practitioner close to “totally appropriate” (M = 4.12 ± .69). The degree of insecure attachment manifested towards the lower extremity of the scale. The total effect of the mediation analyses was significant. Regardless, the indirect effect indicated a trend result with minimal effect sizes.ConclusionThe findings of the current study bridged the gap between attachment styles and healthcare utilization. Nonetheless, our results suggested insufficient support for the mediating role of the primary care physician in the relationship between attachment style and healthcare utilization. Considering the characteristics of the sample, this outcome may not apply in a clinical context. However, further research is needed to shed light in the revealed trends and indicate implications.

Attachment Anxiety and Nomophobia: A Moderated Parallel Mediation Model.

Nomophobia is the state of being anxious or disturbed when feeling disconnected from the digital world and can have a significant impact on individuals' health and well-being. Drawing upon attachment theory and the previous literature on nomophobia, this study aims to understand how attachment anxiety influences nomophobia and whether this relationship differs between males and females. In the Human Penguin Project (HPP) (N = 1221; 12 countries; participants aged ≥20years), the Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire-Revised (ECR-R), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) were used to assess attachment anxiety, alexithymia, perceived stress, and nomophobia, respectively. The results demonstrated that (1) there were significant positive correlations between attachment anxiety, nomophobia, alexithymia, and perceived stress. Additionally, (2) there was a direct and significant effect of attachment anxiety on nomophobia, and alexithymia and perceived stress partially mediated this relationship. Finally, (3) gender significantly moderated the relationship between attachment anxiety and nomophobia. Specifically, the predicted effect was significant in both males and females, but the direct effect of attachment anxiety and nomophobia was stronger in males.

Mentalizing Capacity Partially Mediates the Relationship Between Attachment and Stress, Depression, and Anxiety in Social Work Students

AbstractSocial work students experience high levels of stress, which makes them vulnerable to stress-related disorders such as depression. Attachment security has been associated with better stress regulation. Another factor that is closely associated with attachment is mentalization, i.e., the ability to reflect about one's own and others’ mental states, which may also influence the way people cope with stress. The main aim of the study was to investigate the impact of attachment and mentalization on stress, depression, and anxiety in social work students. 460 social work students completed the short version of the "Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire” (ECR-RD8), “Relationship Questionnaire” (RQ-2), “Certainty About Mental States Questionnaire” (CAMSQ), “Perceived Stress Scale” (PSS-10) as well as the “Patient Health Questionnaire” (PHQ-9) and the “Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale” (GAD-7) in a cross-sectional research design. The majority of the current social work students (71.1%) were assigned to an insecure attachment style and reported noticeably high levels of stress, depression, and anxiety. Insecurely attached students showed even higher levels of stress, depression, and anxiety compared to securely attached students. Moreover, the results indicate that securely attached students have better mentalizing skills and that mentalizing skills (partially) mediated the effect of attachment security on perceived stress, depression, and anxiety. Due to the importance of mentalization for stress regulation, mental health, and the quality of relationships, programs promoting mentalization in social work students should be implemented in social work education programs.

Beyond the global attachment model: domain- and relationship-specific attachment models at work and their functions.

Since prior research has shown the importance of specific attachment models, we wanted to explore specific adult attachments (colleagues, leader, and workplace) in the working setting. The study aimed to investigate the position of specific adult attachments in the attachment hierarchy and their associations with various organizational variables. Finally, we assumed that dimensions of the colleagues-domain attachment model would cluster into attachment types at work, according to secure, preoccupied, and avoidant attachment orientations. We carried out cross-sectional time-lagged research design. The sample consisted of 1,352 participants based on convenience and voluntary sampling procedures. Participants aged 18-78 worked in various work teams and positions. The battery consisted of the Adult Attachment in the Workplace Questionnaire, the Workplace Attachment Styles Questionnaire, the Scale of Belonging to the Organization, the Leader as Security Provider Scale, the shortened Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire, the Czech Leadership Questionnaire, the Citizenship Organizational Behavior Questionnaire, the General Work Performance questionnaire, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. Data were analyzed in JASP 0.16.3 and IBM SPSS Statistics 22. Among other statistical methods, we performed factor analysis and two-step cluster analysis. The alpha level for statistical testing was set to 0.05. The results show that the work-specific attachment models differ from the romantic domain attachment model. Moreover, the work-specific attachment models also differ among themselves. Depending on the attachment to colleagues, it is possible to distinguish two attachment orientations (secure and insecure) among working adults. These two types differ in all the variables studied (relationships with colleagues, romantic partners, belonging to people and place, and performance). The study advances our knowledge of attachment working models and their application in the organizational context. We confirmed hierarchical attachment mental presentations and show the distinction in attachment working models at work. Colleagues and leaders form two separate domains within the workplace. Attachment to a leader is associated with the leadership style and secure workplace attachment. Attachment to colleagues might be more important in insecure workplace attachment and insecure belonging. Fostering secure attachment at work might bring together more positive outcomes for the company regarding performance and relationships at work.

Questionnaire de sensibilité au rejet : qualités psychométriques de la traduction française de l’Adult Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (ARSQ)

IntroductionExacerbated rejection sensitivity is a psychological process strongly present in certain personality disorders. Berenson et al. (2013) developed the Adult Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (A-RSQ), which evaluates the anxious expectation of perceived rejection by people close to them. ObjectiveThe purpose of our study was to investigate the psychometric qualities of a French version of the A-RSQ. MethodThis study was conducted with 140 French participants. The participants completed online our French translation of the A-RSQ and the Borderline Symptoms List (BSL-23), the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire (ECR-R) and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale Self-reported (LSAS-SR). ResultsThe internal validity of the A-RSQ is acceptable. The A-RSQ is positively and significantly correlated with the three reference scales: BSL-23, LSAS-SR and ECR-R. Factor analysis suggests a three-factor structure. ConclusionThis French version of the A-RSQ presents psychometric qualities comparable to its original version. This tool may be useful to researchers and clinicians interested in relationship problems, particularly in the context of borderline personality disorder where rejection sensitivity is a central process.

Attachment Security Priming Delayed Negative Information-Related Attentional Disengagement Among Anxiously Attached Individuals: Evidence From Behavioral and Functional MRI Experiments.

Although attachment security has been found to attenuate people’s experience of unpleasant information, how it modulates the attentional process toward such information remains unknown. The present study examined this issue by employing the dot-probe task in functional MRI. After completing the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire (ECR-R), 39 participants were asked to complete the dot-probe task in two conditions: the attachment security priming condition and neutral priming condition. The behavioral results revealed that individuals with high level of attachment anxiety exhibited larger attention disengagement from negative traits in the security priming condition than in the control condition. Correspondingly, the brain regions involved in attention regulation and shifting, such as the posterior cingulate and bilateral parietal area, were less activated among high anxiously attached individuals in the security priming condition. These results suggest a role of attachment security priming in regulating the emotional response in anxiously attached individuals during the attentional stage.

Evaluation of a short version of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire (ECR-RD8): results from a representative German sample

BackgroundAttachment insecurity is a prominent risk factor for the development and course of psychiatric and psychosomatic disorders. The Experiences in Close Relationships - Revised (ECR-R) questionnaire is a widely used self-report to assess attachment related anxiety and avoidance. However, its length has the potential to restrict its use in large, multi-instrument studies. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a brief version of the ECR-R, and provide norm values for the German population.MethodsA screening version of the original ECR-R was developed through principal components analysis of datasets from several previous studies. In a representative sample of 2428 randomly selected individuals from the German population, we compared fit indices of different models by means of confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). We investigated the convergent validity of the screening version in an independent convenience sample of 557 participants. Correlations between the short and the full scale were investigated in a re-analysis of the original German ECR-R evaluation sample.ResultsCFA indicated a satisfactory model fit for an eight-item version (ECR-RD8). The ECR-RD8 demonstrated adequate reliability. The subscales correlated as expected with another self-report measure of attachment in an independent sample. Individuals with higher levels of attachment anxiety, but especially higher levels of attachment avoidance were significantly more likely to not be in a relationship, across all age groups. Correlations between the short and the full scale were high.ConclusionsThe ECR-RD8 appears to be a reliable, valid, and economic questionnaire for assessing attachment insecurity. In addition, the reported population-based norm values will help to contextualize future research findings.

Modulation of Instagram Number of Followings by Avoidance in Close Relationships in Young Adults under a Gene x Environment Perspective.

Social networking sites have determined radical changes in human life, demanding investigations on online socialization mechanisms. The knowledge acquired on in-person sociability could guide researchers to consider both environmental and genetic features as candidates of online socialization. Here, we explored the impact of the quality of adult attachment and the genetic properties of the Serotonin Transporter Gene (5-HTTLPR) on Instagram social behavior. Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire was adopted to assess 57 Instagram users’ attachment pattern in close relationships with partners. Genotypes from the 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 region were extracted from the users’ buccal mucosa and analyzed. Users’ Instagram social behavior was examined from four indexes: number of posts, number of followed users (“followings”) and number of followers, and the Social Desirability Index calculated from the followers to followings ratio. Although no interaction between rs25531 and ECR-R dimensions was found, an association between avoidance in close relationships and Instagram number of followings emerged. Post hoc analyses revealed adult avoidance from the partner predicts the Instagram number of followings with good evidence. Moreover, users reporting high avoidance levels displayed fewer followings than users who reported low levels of avoidance. This research provides a window into the psychobiological understanding of online socialization on Instagram.

Parenting issues and attachment orientations: a comparison between Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina

ABSTRACT A growing body of literature links particular parenting practices with attachment orientations in the Western societies. However, the effects of cultural differences on such linkages have not been adequately addressed in the literature on attachment. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between child-rearing behaviors and adult attachment orientations in Bosnian and Turkish parents. 227 parents (124 Bosnian and 111 Turkish) aged 25-45 years were selected by multiple cluster sampling method. They filled out the following questionnaires: ‘Child Rearing Behaviors Questionnaire' and ‘Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire (ECRI II).' The most interesting finding is that the attachment orientations were not a predictor of any childrearing behaviors in both countries. These results present the consequences of attachment and parenting issues in non-western societies.

Attachment style, thought suppression, self-compassion and depression: Testing a serial mediation model.

Attachment anxiety has been consistently linked with increased vulnerability to depression, and hyperactivating emotion regulation strategies (e.g., rumination) have been shown to mediate this relationship. Investigations of mediators of the attachment avoidance to depression relationship have yielded inconsistent findings, and the nature of this relationship remains to be clarified. There is evidence to suggest that the constructs of thought suppression and self-compassion are associated with attachment avoidance and also with depressive symptomology. In order to further clarify the nature of this relationship, the present study tested a serial mediation model, whereby it was hypothesised that thought suppression and self-compassion were serial mediators of the relationship between attachment avoidance and depression. One hundred and forty-eight participants completed an online composite questionnaire consisting of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire, the White Bear Suppression Inventory, the Self-Compassion Scale, and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21. Initial results supported the hypothesised serial mediation model (Model A); that is, higher attachment avoidance predicted higher thought suppression, higher thought suppression predicted lower levels of self-compassion and lower levels of self-compassion predicted higher depression. However, this model was no longer significant following the inclusion of attachment anxiety as a covariate within the post-hoc analysis. A second, post-hoc serial mediation model was tested (Model B), with the only difference being that attachment anxiety replaced attachment avoidance as the independent variable. This model was significant, with and without the inclusion of attachment avoidance as a covariate. The study provides evidence for the central role of thought suppression and self-compassion as mechanisms underlying the relationship between insecure attachment and depression, and indicates that these factors operate in opposing directions. The findings are discussed in terms of explicating some of the processes through which insecure attachment confers vulnerability to depression. The implications of the observed degree of shared variance between the two attachment dimensions suggests these constructs may be more appropriately considered overlapping, rather than orthogonal.

Adult Attachment, Conflict Resolution Style and Relationship Quality among Spanish Young-adult Couples.

The evidence of the interrelationships between adult attachment, conflict resolution style and relationship quality in couple relationships shows some inconsistencies and it is mostly based on English-speaking adult samples, as well as on individuals' rather than on both couple members' reports. Therefore, the aim was to examine the associations between adult attachment, conflict resolution style and relationship quality from a dyadic approach. A sample of 405 heterosexual young couples completed online the brief version of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire, the respondent version of the Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory, and a 4-item measure of relationship quality. Avoidance attachment showed a stronger negative correlation than anxiety with relationship quality. Withdrawal and conflict engagement styles were more highly correlated with avoidance and anxiety, respectively. At a dyadic level, relationship quality was negatively predicted by actor avoidance attachment and positively predicted by partner relationship quality. No actor or partner effects of conflict resolution style on relationship quality were observed. Overall, partners with higher attachment anxiety and avoidance reported more dysfunctional conflict resolution styles and less satisfaction with the relationship.

Childhood Trauma and Experience in Close Relationships Are Associated with the God Image: Does Religiosity Make a Difference?

Religiosity and spirituality (R/S) and some of their specific aspects are associated with health. A negatively perceived relationship with God, which has adverse health outcomes, can be formed by human attachment both in childhood and adulthood. The aim of this study was to assess the associations of childhood trauma (CT) and experience in close relationships (ECR) with the God image in a secular environment by religiosity. A national representative sample of Czech adults (n = 1800, 51.1 ± 17.2 years; 43.5% men) participated in a survey. We measured CT (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), ECR (Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire), image of God (questions from the 2005 Baylor Survey) and religiosity. Our results showed associations of CT and ECR with God images. Respondents who experienced CT were less likely to describe God as loving, always present and forgiving. Religious respondents were less likely to report positive God images with odds ratios (ORs) from 0.78 (0.66–0.94) to 0.95 (0.91–0.99), nonreligious respondents reported negative God images with ORs from 1.03 (1.00–1.06) to 1.22 (1.08–1.37). We found CT and problems in close relationships in adulthood are associated with a less positive God image, especially in nonreligious people. Understanding these associations may help prevent detrimental health outcomes.

Unmet Supportive Care Needs Among Women With Breast and Gynecological Cancer: Relevance of Attachment Anxiety and Psychological Distress.

ObjectiveAttachment anxiety and avoidance are known risk factors for the development of unmet needs and poor well-being among patients with chronic diseases. Few studies have addressed this in individuals with cancer. We aimed to explore the relationship between supportive care needs, attachment styles and distress in women with breast and gynecological cancer.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional paper-pencil (n = 157) and online survey (n = 614), a total of 771 patients with breast or gynecological cancer completed a set of validated questionnaires. From September 2013 to January 2014, consecutive inpatients and outpatients of the university hospital Tuebingen were included in the study. Further, participants were recruited through social media, patient internet platforms, self-help group leaders and patient networks. We used the Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS-SF-34) with the need dimensions: health system, patient care, psychological, physical, and sexual needs, as well as the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire, and the Distress Thermometer. A multiple linear regression model was used to analyze the influence of attachment styles (anxiety and avoidance) on the SCNS-SF-34 dimensions. A moderation analysis was used to explore the influence of the interaction between attachment anxiety and distress for all SCNS-SF-34 dimensions.ResultsAttachment anxiety was a significant determinant and led to higher unmet supportive care needs in all dimensions, whereas attachment avoidance was not significant. Distress did moderate the relationship between attachment anxiety and psychological and health system needs and led to a higher unmet needs development. For the other SCNS-SF-34 dimensions, distress was not confirmed as a moderator.ConclusionOur findings highlight attachment anxiety as a risk factor for the development of unmet supportive care needs and potentially impaired psychological adjustment to cancer. Further studies are needed to elucidate the interactions between attachment styles, distress and supportive care needs among cancer patients.

Anxiety and Avoidance in Adults and Childhood Trauma Are Associated with Negative Religious Coping.

Religion as a coping strategy is mostly connected with positive health outcomes. Yet, negative religious coping (NRC) has been associated with rather negative outcomes that affect one’s health. The aim of this study was to explore whether insecure adult attachment and childhood trauma are associated with higher NRC. A sample of Czech adults (n = 531, 51.1 ± 17.2 years; 43.5% men) participated in a survey. As measures, the NRC subscale of the Brief RCOPE, the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) were used. From the whole sample, 23.7% respondents reported higher NRC. Respondents with higher anxiety in close relationships were more likely to use negative coping strategies, with an odds ratios (OR) of 1.27 (95% confidence interval 1.01–1.59). Similarly, avoidance was associated with negative coping OR = 1.41 (1.13–1.75). Moreover, each subscale of the CTQ-SF revealed a significant association with high summary NRC. Respondents who reported physical neglect scored highest on summary NRC with OR = 1.50 (1.23–1.83) after controlling for sociodemographic variables, but also for anxiety and depression. Our findings support the idea that childhood trauma experience and adult attachment style are associated with higher use of NRC strategies.

Theory of Mind as a Mediator Between Emotional Trust Beliefs and Interpersonal Communication Competence in a Group of Young Adults.

Research has provided direct and indirect evidence of associations between trust beliefs and social-perceptual theory of mind (ToM) and between social-perceptual ToM and interpersonal communication competence during childhood and adolescence. This research (a) developed a scale for evaluating trust beliefs in young Italian adults (Study 1) and (b) examined how social-perceptual ToM mediates the relationship between emotional trust beliefs and interpersonal communication competences such as assertiveness and empathy (Study 2). In Study 1, a sample of 168 university students (M = 23.3, SD = 3 months) completed the Italian Adults' Generalized Trust Beliefs (AGTB) scale and two second-order false beliefs tasks. In Study 2, 318 Italian university students (M = 22.96 years, SD = 2 months) completed the AGTB scale, the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, and items measuring assertiveness and empathy. As expected, the AGTB scale exhibited acceptable internal consistency, structural validity, and construct validity. Furthermore, path analysis confirmed the existence of the hypothesized paths between adults' emotional trust beliefs, social-perceptual ToM, assertiveness, and empathy. This study also identified the effects of gender on the other variables, but sex did not moderate the relationships between variables.

The relationship between adult attachment and coping with brain tumour: the mediating role of social support.

A primary brain tumour diagnosis is known to elicit higher distress than other forms of cancer and is related to high depressive symptomatology. Using a cross-sectional design, the present study explored how individuals cope with this diagnosis using an attachment theory framework. Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were hypothesised to be positively related to helplessness/hopelessness, anxious preoccupation, and cognitive avoidance; and negatively related to fighting spirit and fatalism coping. We proposed perceived social support to play a mediating role in those associations. Four hundred and eighty participants diagnosed with primary brain tumours completed the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (Mini-MAC), the Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire-Revised (ECR-R), and the modified Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Scale (mMOS-SSS) online. Lower perceived social support mediated the positive associations between both higher attachment anxiety and avoidance and higher helpless/hopeless coping. Attachment anxiety was also positively associated with anxious preoccupation. This relationship was not mediated by perceived social support. Cognitive avoidance was unrelated to both attachment dimensions and social support. The findings highlight that the differences in coping repertoire are associated with social relatedness factors, specifically attachment security and its relationship to perceived social support. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and the Structure of Personality in Patients with Takotsubo Syndrome Versus Myocardial Infarction

Context and Aims: Psychosocial risk factors are known to result in either takotsubo syndrome (TTS) or myocardial infarction (MI). In this article, the results of a cross-sectional study are presented within the framework of “progressive somatization” by comparing the psychosocial traits of TTS and MI patients. Design/Subjects and Methods: 136 patients were administered a battery of questionnaires comprising the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire, and the Operationalised Psychodynamic Diagnosis Structural Questionnaire (OPD-SQ). Life events prior to the onset of cardiac disease were recorded. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics data were expressed in absolute numbers, percent, and mean and standard deviation. To identify differences between groups, T-tests for independent samples, Chi-square-tests and Mann-Whitney-Tests were used. Pearson correlations were computed to assess the relationship between the patient samples as well as between the patient samples and norms. Results: Few differences were found between TTS and MI patients, with both groups reporting moderate-to-severe “emotional neglect” in their childhood (CTQ). Compared to the norm group, TTS and MI patients showed higher values of “alexithymia” (TAS-20), and MI patients reported higher “attachment avoidance”. There are more “structural limitations of the personality” in TTS and MI patients than in a psychosomatic sample (OPD-SQ). Conclusions: TTS as well as MI patients suffer from “adverse childhood experiences” and “structural limitations of personality.” The results sustain the psychosomatic theory of progressive somatization that leads to severe bodily diseases. Patients might benefit from a specific psychotherapeutical support.

A correlational study on attachment dimensions, academic performance and self-regulated learning of university students in South Africa

ABSTRACTAn association between attachment and academic performance appears to be consistently found in children; however, reports on such an association in adolescents are contradictory. This study aimed to determine whether the attachment dimensions of anxiety or avoidance significantly correlate with a student’s academic performance at university. Moreover, since individual differences in attachment index distinct self-regulatory capacities, this study aimed to determine whether any correlation exists between a student’s attachment dimensions and measures of self-regulated learning. Attachment dimensions were determined by the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire, while self-regulated learning was determined by the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, in a sample of university students (n = 185). Neither attachment dimensions correlated significantly with measures of academic performance. However, attachment dimensions did significantly correlate with measures of self-regulated learning in this study.

Sexual Desire, Mood, Attachment Style, Impulsivity, and Self-Esteem as Predictive Factors for Addictive Cybersex.

BackgroundAn increasing number of studies are concerned with various aspects of cybersex addiction, the difficulty some persons have in limiting cybersex use despite a negative impact on everyday life.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess potential links between the outcome variable cybersex addiction, assessed with the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) adapted for cybersex use, and several psychological and psychopathological factors, including sexual desire, mood, attachment style, impulsivity, and self-esteem, by taking into account the age, sex, and sexual orientation of cybersex users.MethodsA Web-based survey was conducted in which participants were assessed for sociodemographic variables and with the following instruments: CIUS adapted for cybersex use, Sexual Desire Inventory, and Short Depression-Happiness Scale. Moreover, attachment style was assessed with the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire (Anxiety and Avoidance subscales). Impulsivity was measured by using the Urgency, Premeditation (lack of), Perseverance (lack of), Sensation Seeking, Positive Urgency Impulsive Behavior Scale. Global self-esteem was assessed with the 1-item Self-Esteem Scale.ResultsA sample of 145 subjects completed the study. Addictive cybersex use was associated with higher levels of sexual desire, depressive mood, avoidant attachment style, and male gender but not with impulsivity.ConclusionsAddictive cybersex use is a function of sexual desire, depressive mood, and avoidant attachment.

The Relationship Between Mentalizing Abilities, Attachment Styles, Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in Fibromyalgia Patients

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate patients with fibromyalgia in terms of mentalizing abilities and to identify the relationships between mentalization skills, attachment styles, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in these patients. Method: The sample consisted of 30 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia and 30 healthy volunteers. Patients with fibromyalgia and the control group were both administered the following battery of tests: Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire–Revised (ECR-R), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results: Fibromyalgia group and healthy controls differed significantly in terms of total scores of the RMET. The fibromyalgia group had significantly lower scores in terms of mentalization skills compared to healthy controls. The mean anxiety and depression scores of the fibromyalgia group were higher than in the healthy controls. The mean scores of anxiety and avoidance dimensions in the fibromyalgia group were not different from healthy controls. Conclusion: Fibromyalgia patients were found to have significantly lower mentalizing abilities compared to healthy controls. This study may provide data for clinical applications using mentalization as a tool to understand and treat the patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia more efficiently.