Fearful Attachment Research Articles

Narcissistic traits in young people and how experiencing shame relates to current attachment challenges.

BackgroundYoung people with pathological narcissistic traits may have more maladaptive ways of relating to themselves and others. In this study, we investigated how the experience of shame may be a mechanism by which vulnerable and grandiose pathological narcissism relates to negative and positive internalised models of the self and others, manifested as attachment styles.MethodsParticipants (N = 348) were young people who reported on pathological narcissism, the experience of shame and their model of self and others (secure, dismissive, preoccupied and fearful attachment). Mediation of the experience of shame between vulnerable and grandiose narcissism on the one hand and secure, dismissive, preoccupied and fearful attachment on the other hand, was tested using a path model.ResultsShame mediated the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and a more negative model of others and self (i.e. less secure, more fearful and more preoccupied in attachment). Higher grandiose narcissism traits were related to a more positive model of others and self (i.e. more secure attachment) and were unrelated to the experience of shame.ConclusionsYoung people with vulnerable narcissism traits tended to report more shame, and struggled to be close to others. It may be that shame experiences highlight a discrepancy between the ideal and actual self that may contribute to a more insecure attachment style. A good working alliance and fostering self-compassion may counter some negative effects of shame in those most vulnerable, but dismissal in those most grandiose presents a clinical conundrum requiring further research.

Attached to Virtual Dreams: The Mediating Role of Maladaptive Daydreaming in the Relationship Between Attachment Styles and Problematic Social Media Use.

Maladaptive daydreaming describes excessive fantasy activity that interferes with an individual's life. Surprisingly, the precursors of maladaptive daydreaming and its role in excessive involvement in virtual worlds have been scarcely investigated. In the current study, we examined the relationships among attachment styles, maladaptive daydreaming, and problematic social media use (PSMU) in a sample of community-dwelling adults. Eight hundred seventy-seven participants between 18 and 68 years old were recruited via an online survey and asked to fill out self-reported measures on attachment styles, maladaptive daydreaming, and PSMU. Mediation analyses showed that maladaptive daydreaming is a significant mediator in the relationships between preoccupied and fearful attachment styles and PSMU, suggesting that maladaptive daydreaming partly explains the established link between insecure attachment styles and excessive use of social media. Individuals with PSMU fostered by maladaptive daydreaming may benefit from clinical interventions that promote the use of adaptive regulatory strategies to develop feelings of security and self-confidence that may serve to reduce the excessive involvement in social media.

Psychiatric symptoms of wife of military personel who died in combat: The role of meaning in life and attachment styles

IntroductionTraumatic experiences has a key role on the mental health of individuals. Turkish Armed Forces has been involved in various combat in and out of the country over the years. Individuals who are able to find meaning after a negative life events are better overcome their issues and return to their positive functioning. Unhealthy attachment styles has been observed more in clinical samples than healthy attachment styles.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate the predictive role of attachment styles and meaning in life on psychiatric symptoms among wife of military personel who lost their lifes.Methods74 women who lost their husband in combat to the study. Their age was between 21 and 74, with the mean of 46.93. 60 (75.9%) participants had a child when they lost their husband. 63 (79.7%) of them hasn’t been married again. Brief Symptom Inventory, Meaning in Life Scale and Relationship Scales Questtionnare were used to collect the data. Five different regression analysis was conducted.ResultsFinding meaning in life, dismissing and preoccupied attachment sytles predicted depression (R2= 51.8%). Finding meaning in life and fearful attachment styles predicted anxiety (R2= 46.2%). Finding meaning in life and fearful attachment styles predicted negative identity (R2= 51.1%). Finding meaning in life and dismissing attachment styles predicted hostility (R2= 50.4%) and somatization (R2= 57%).ConclusionsMeaning in life has a protective role in the development of any psychopathologies whereas insecure attachment styles are risk factor.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Parent and Child's Negative Emotions During COVID-19: The Moderating Role of Parental Attachment Style.

In February 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) appeared and spread rapidly in Italy. With the health emergency and social isolation, parents started spending more time with their children, and they might have experienced greater distress. Attachment style is considered as an effective emotion regulation strategy in the parent–child relationship. However, few empirical studies have addressed this issue. Based on attachment theory, this study aimed to find parental attachment style as a candidate to moderate the relation between parents’ negative emotions and their perceptions of their children’s negative emotions related to COVID-19. Parents (Mage = 42.55 ± 6.56, 88.2% female) of 838 Italian children and adolescents aged 3 to 18 years participated in an online survey. Results showed that parents with a fearful attachment style had significantly higher negative emotions when facing COVID-19 than those with other attachment styles. Moreover, parents with a dismissing attachment style perceived fewer negative emotions in their children than parents with fearful and preoccupied styles. At last, higher parents’ negative emotions were associated with greater perception of children’s negative emotions only in parents classified as secure and fearful. These findings suggest that parents with dismissing and fearful attachment styles and their children may be at higher risk during the COVID-19 pandemic and they should be given long-term attention.

Significance of anger suppression and preoccupied attachment in social anxiety disorder: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThere is evidence for the relevance of attachment style and anger expression for the manifestation of social anxiety disorder (SAD).MethodIn a cross-sectional study 321 individuals with social anxiety disorder (41% men, age 38.8 ± 13.9) were compared with 94 healthy controls (37% men, age 35.8 ± 15.1) on several questionnaires (Attachment Styles Questionnaire, State Trait Anger Inventory, Social Phobia Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory).ResultsIndividuals with SAD showed moderate-sized reduced levels of secure and large-sized increased levels of fearful and preoccupied attachment style compared to healthy controls (all p < 0.001) as well as small-sized increased levels of trait anger (p = 0.03) and moderate-sized increased levels of anger-in (p < 0.001). Attachment style and anger regulation could predict 21% (R2 = 0.21, p < 0.001) of the extent of social anxiety (SPIN) in SAD; secure (β = − 0.196, p < 0.01) and preoccupied attachment style (β = 0.117, p < 0.05), as well as anger-in (β = 0.199, p < 0.01) were significant cross-sectional predictors. Further analysis revealed that the relationship between preoccupied attachment and social anxiety is partially mediated by anger-in.ConclusionStudy findings confirm the relevance of preoccupied attachment style and anger suppression for social anxiety. Disentangling the role of anger regulation in early attachment patterns has significant therapeutic implications in SAD.

Childhood trauma, attachment orientation, and complex PTSD (CPTSD) symptoms in a clinical sample: Implications for treatment.

Although there has been significant work on the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and attachment orientation, this is less the case for complex PTSD (CPTSD). The primary aim of this paper was to assess the strength of the association between the four adult attachment styles (i.e., secure, dismissing, preoccupied, and fearful) and severity of CPTSD symptoms (i.e., symptoms of PTSD and disturbances in self-organization [DSO]). We hypothesized that attachment orientation would be more strongly associated with DSO symptoms compared to PTSD symptoms. A trauma exposed clinical sample (N = 331) completed self-report measures of traumatic life events, CPTSD symptoms, and attachment orientation. It was found that secure attachment and fearful attachment were significantly associated with DSO symptoms but not with PTSD symptoms. Dismissing attachment style was significantly associated with PTSD and DSO symptoms. Preoccupied attachment was not significantly associated with CPTSD symptoms. Treatment implications for CPTSD using an attachment framework are discussed.

The Vicious Cycle of Traumatic Narcissism and Dissociative Depression Among Young Adults: A Trans-Diagnostic Approach

ABSTRACT This study was concerned with associations between narcissism, childhood trauma, dissociation, attachment styles, and depression among young adults. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), Relationship Styles Questionnaire, Beck Depression Scale, and the Five-Factor Narcissism Questionnaire were administered to 422 college students. Multivariate analyses revealed that childhood sexual abuse, physical neglect, both fearful and secure attachment styles, dissociation, and male gender predicted grandiose narcissism. Vulnerable narcissism was predicted by preoccupied attachment, depression, and female gender. Dissociative taxon members (n = 133, 31.5%) had elevated scores on all childhood trauma types, fearful attachment, and both vulnerable and grandiose narcissism. While there was a link between bodily childhood maltreatment, dissociation, and grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism was related to loss of perceived security in relationships and depression. Representing ambivalence and an indirect link between childhood trauma and vulnerable narcissism, depression was associated with both emotional neglect and overprotection-overcontrol, and fearful and preoccupied attachment. Depression and grandiose narcissism as co-predictors of pathological dissociation fitted the concept of “dissociative depression”, which constituted an interface between two aspects of narcissism. Narcissism may be a trans-generational carrier of trauma as a fertile ground for dissociation. The escalation of dissociation among young adults in Turkey to an almost normative level may also be a consequence of the drastic transformations in the country throughout the period of globalism nurturing post-modern individualism in a conservative society. The trans-diagnostic overlap between two psychopathologies suggested that potential interference of concurrent dissociation needs to be considered in psychotherapy of narcissism and vice versa.

Dissociation and insecure attachment as mediators of the relation between childhood emotional abuse and nonclinical paranoid traits

ABSTRACT Background: Research suggests dissociation and insecure attachment serve as explanatory mechanisms in the pathway from childhood trauma to paranoia. However, past work has not examined these mechanisms concurrently in nonclinical populations. Objective: The current study sought to examine dissociation and insecure attachment as parallel mediators of the association between childhood emotional abuse and paranoid traits. Furthermore, a serial mediation model with insecure attachment preceding dissociation in the explanatory pathway was explored. Methods: Eighty-nine nonclinically ascertained young adults were assessed for childhood emotional abuse, dissociation, attachment styles, and paranoid traits. Parallel and serial mediation models were tested. Results: The association of childhood emotional abuse with both interview-based and self-reported paranoid traits was significantly mediated by dissociation and preoccupied attachment. Fearful attachment was a significant mediator in the model for self-reported paranoid traits. No evidence for a serial mediation effect was found. Conclusions: The present findings extend support for dissociation and attachment insecurity as mechanisms underlying the link between childhood emotional maltreatment and paranoid traits. Longitudinal research is needed to inform whether insecure attachment contributes to dissociation along the pathways to paranoid traits.

Psihosocijalni razvoj i afektivna vezanost u kasnoj adolescenciji

The study deals with the relationship between psychosocial development and attachment in late adolescence. The aim is to examine the relationship between the success in resolving the crises of psychosocial development and attachment dimensions and to investigate the differences between attachment styles with respect to the success in resolving the crises of psychosocial development. The Questionnaire for Attachment Assessment, II revision (UPIPAV-R) and The Modified Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory (MEPSI) were applied on the sample of 212 students (aged 2026) of faculties and colleges situated in Belgrade. The results indicate that there is a significant relationship between attachment dimensions and the success in resolving tasks of psychosocial development, with three significantly connected pairs of structures between two sets of variables. The securely attached adolescents were significantly and consistently more successful in resolving the crises of psychosocial development in comparison with the insecurely attached adolescents. They also showed a higher level of general psychosocial matureness. Significant differences in resolving the crises of psychosocial development were obtained between adolescents with different forms of insecure attachment. Based on the success in resolving the crises of psychosocial development, 59.4% of respondents were classified in the original attachment group, including: 76.6% with secure attachment, 57.1% with preoccupied, 56.6% with dismissing and 41.3% with fearful attachment.

How do Physicians Manage Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder and Somatic Symptom Disorder in the Emergency Department? A Vignette Study.

Introduction:We aimed to explore how physicians from different specialties approach the management of functional neurological symptom (conversion) and somatic symptom disorders in the emergency department compared with pulmonary embolism and how physicians’ professional and personal characteristics influence their diagnostic preferences.Methods:Using a vignette methodology, and cross-sectional design, three emergency department case vignettes of possible functional neurological symptom, somatic symptom disorder, and pulmonary embolism were presented to physicians from internal medicine, emergency medicine, and psychiatry. A structured survey including questions on diagnosis and management of these cases, and physicians’ professional and personal characteristics (childhood trauma, attachment style) was conducted.Results:Physicians from internal medicine and emergency medicine tended to consider functional neurological symptom disorder as ‘malingering’ while psychiatrists tended to diagnose the pulmonary embolism case as a psychiatric condition. Emergency medicine physicians preferred to manage functional neurological symptom disorder themselves, while other doctors endorsed recommending a psychiatric consultation. In the univariable model, being a physician from psychiatry, emergency medicine, or internal medicine; being a specialist, history of childhood sexual abuse, dismissive, and fearful attachment styles of doctors were significant predictors of diagnosing functional neurological symptom disorder as malingering. Being a psychiatrist stayed as the only significant predictor in the multivariable model.Conclusion:Objectively-aberrant functional neurological symptoms and subjective somatic symptoms may be creating different reactions in physicians. In the emergency department, physicians’ diagnostic and treatment preferences of conversion disorder may be influenced by lack of training in conversion disorder, rather than their personal characteristics.

Взаимосвязь привязанности и совладающего поведения у взрослых

Attachment as the ability to form long-term close relationships provides protection and support at all ages, frees from anxiety and tension, and directly affects well-being and health. This study explored the relations between attachment and coping styles and hardiness in adults. The participants — 127 adults aged 18—77 — filled out the Relationships Questionnaire (Bartholomew, Horowitz, 1998), Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire (Fraley, Waller, Brennan, 2000), Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (Endler, Parker, 1990), and Hardiness Survey (Leontiev, Rasskazova, 2006; based on Maddi’s Personal Views Survey). The results showed that securely attached adults used coping aimed at problem solving and avoiding anxious thoughts less frequently. Fearful attachment style was related to the reduction of effort to change the situation, it increased the feeling of helplessness and disregard of vigorous activity. As for individuals with avoidant attachment anxiety they experienced in close relationships increased the feelings of rejection and the disposition to security.

Gender Differences in the Association between Circadian Preference and Attachment Style

Objective The present study aims to explore gender differences in the association between circadian preference and attachment style in a community sample. Methods A total of 171 community-dwelling adults (98 males and 73 females, mean age=41.06±8.21 years) were recruited. The Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) was used to measure the circadian preferences, and attachment style was assessed by the Relationship Style Questionnaire (RSQ). The Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression Scale (CES-D) was used to assess depressive symptoms. The association between circadian preference and attachment style was examined by gender. Results The MEQ significantly predicted dismissing attachment (β=−0.254, p=0.001) and fearful attachment (β=−0.177, p=0.016) after controlling for age, gender, and the CES-D score. The MEQ predicted dismissing attachment (β=−0.372, p=0.002) and fearful attachment (β=−0.237, p=0.040) in males, but not in females after controlling for age and CES-D score. Conclusion The current finding suggests an association between circadian preference and attachment style, which differed by gender. Key Words: Key WordsCircadian preferences; Morningness-eveningness; Attachment style; Gender

Multiple Maltreatment and Adverse Childhood Experiences: Exploring Cumulative Threats to Attachment Quality.

Child maltreatment and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) often cooccur and are related to negative socioemotional outcomes; however, limited research differentiates how maltreatment versus other ACEs predict such outcomes. These efforts are necessary to determine whether cumulative ACE screening efforts best predict those at risk for poor outcomes. We examined cumulative childhood ACEs, cumulative maltreatment subtypes, and adult attachment quality in 379 young and middle-aged adults. This sample enabled comparison between emerging adults and older adults who have navigated additional developmental tasks that may counteract the effects of early ACEs. More ACEs and maltreatment experiences predicted insecure anxious, avoidant, and fearful attachment styles; however, maltreatment failed to predict unique variance in attachment quality beyond other ACEs. Results suggest that maltreatment may be best categorized as part of a general cumulative risk profile predicting poor socioemotional outcomes. Findings support burgeoning trends in medical and social service settings assessing ACEs using simple dichotomous screening tools to identify those requiring intervention and support services.

Attachment style and clinical outcome within a DBT-informed Therapeutic Community

PurposeThere is evidence that attachment style and clinical outcomes are related within Therapeutic Communities (TCs). This paper aims to examine any possible relationships between self-reported adult attachment style, therapy programme engagement and measures of psychological distress and dissociation on admission and discharge within a residential TC.Design/methodology/approachEx-clients of the TC were contacted by post and invited to take part in this service evaluation. Additional data were sourced from a database of routinely collected outcome measures. Of 281 ex-clients, the final sample in this study was N = 32.FindingsWhen attachment style is conceptualised dimensionally, participants identified most strongly with a fearful attachment style, and least with a preoccupied or secure style. A range of attachment styles were reported. A significant association was apparent between self-reported secure attachment and reduced levels of psychological distress upon discharge from the TC. The potential for changes in client attachment patterns following TC membership is discussed.Research limitations/implicationsThe small sample size and correlational nature of this study means that results should be interpreted cautiously. Nevertheless, results are of clinical relevance for inpatient or residential therapy programmes (including TCs). Such programmes should routinely assess client attachment style to ensure appropriate interventions and adaptions are implemented.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, to date, this is the first known study to report on the relationship between self-reported adult attachment style and psychological outcomes specifically for women with self-defeating behaviours within a TC.

Depressive symptoms, parental stress, and attachment style in mothers and fathers two and a half years after childbirth: Are fathers as affected as mothers?

The study aimed to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and whether parental stress and attachment style affected depression in mothers and fathers two and a half years after the birth of a child. The parents completed several questionnaires including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Swedish Parenthood Stress Questionnaire and the Relationship Questionnaire. The prevalence rate of depressive symptoms in mothers was 14.9%, while for fathers it was 11.5%. Differences between the parents identified as depressed and those without depressive symptoms were also analysed. There were no significant differences between depressed and non-depressed parents on the secure, avoidant and fearful attachment styles. However, there was a significant difference between groups on the preoccupied subscale. The final aim was to calculate if attachment style contributed to the level of depression while accounting for the impact of parental stress. Parental stress (incompetence, social isolation and spouse relationship problems) was the best predictor for mothers’ depressive symptoms, while parental stress (social isolation and health) and the preoccupied attachment style were the best predictors for such symptoms in fathers. The findings indicated that parental stress and depressive symptoms are closely related and can explain the difficulties parents face.

Usage d’Internet en fin de grossesse chez des femmes primipares : lien avec l’attachement et les troubles anxiodépressifs

IntroductionThe pregnancy of a first child is a life event with a strong emotional impact. Like any life event, pregnancy is a time when the need for comfort and support can be increased. The issues related to attachment will be reactivated in future parents and affect the experience of this transition period. Pregnant women with an insecure attachment style would be particularly vulnerable to experiencing pregnancy-specific anxiety. Furthermore, depending on their representations of attachment relationships, future mothers may perceive their partner as more or less supportive. Faced with a lack of perceived support, expectant mothers could turn to other people. Nevertheless, seeking help and support is not always simple. The Internet could be an alternative source of support and information. Indeed, the specificities of online exchanges can allow another mode of exchange and facilitate the search for support, making the Internet a potential source of support. To face anxiety and depression sometimes experienced during pregnancy, social support is essential. It may help pregnant women to grasp the changes related to her new life. Future mothers with a high level of anxiety and depression, or with anxiety-depressive disorders, could use the Internet to find people with whom to exchange and find answers to their questions. The aim of this study is to explore the Internet use related to pregnancy by expectant mothers in relation to their attachment style, perception of social support, and level of anxiety and depression. Materials and methodsThis study is cross-sectional and was conducted among a sample of 28 pregnant women (mean=27.10 years; sd=3.70). To recruit participants, advertisements with a link to the survey were posted and shared on social networks. All the women were expecting their first child and were in the last trimester of their pregnancy. The participants completed an anonymous online survey. The survey assessed Internet use related to pregnancy, attachment style, perceived social support level of anxiety and depression by autoquestionnaires. ResultsPartial correlation analyzes, controlled by time prior to conception, showed a significant relationship between fearful attachment and (1) Internet use for information seeking, (2) Internet use having a perceived effect on emotions. Data revealed that Internet use to exchange and share experiences and emotions is significantly and negatively related to satisfaction of perceived social support. Finally, depression was linked to both Internet use for information seeking and Internet use for counseling and reducing negative emotions. ConclusionThe results of this study suggest that pregnant women with fearful attachment use the Internet to search for information related to pregnancy. This use could be explained by the fact that the fearful attachment is often associated with a higher level of stress. The need for reinsurance could then result in a multiplication of sources of information to handle the issues raised by pregnancy. The link between the level of depression and the use of the Internet to reduce negative affects suggests that the Internet can be perceived as a source of support by expectant mothers. However, the link between the level of depression and the use of the Internet for information seeking questions about the effects of this use. Indeed, the information and testimonies collected on the Internet could also lead to depressive symptomatology in future mothers.

A Revised And Expanded Version Of The Turkish Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-33): Overprotection-Overcontrol As Additional Factor

ABSTRACT This study was concerned with a culture-sensitive revision of the Turkish version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-28) and expansion of the instrument through integration of a dimension assessing overprotection – overcontrol (OP-OC). Participants (n = 783) were 37 dissociative and 78 non-dissociative and non-psychotic psychiatric outpatients, and 668 non-clinical people. They completed the revised and expanded version of the CTQ, Dissociative Experiences Scale, Beck Depression Scale, and Relationship Scales Questionnaire. A test-retest assessment was conducted on 25 non-clinical individuals. Among twenty-one alternative and the twenty-five original statements, the items of subsections were selected by correlations between item and item deleted total scores for each subset of original and alternative statements. The 33-item final version (CTQ-33) included five statements for each subsection including OP-OC and three denial items. The principal component analysis on items of the CTQ-33 with a varimax rotation yielded six factors including OP-OC. The inner consistency and the test-retest reliability were good. OP-OC correlated particularly with emotional abuse and neglect, and other types of trauma. There were significant correlations between CTQ-33 and depression, dissociation, and fearful attachment scores. The CTQ-33 differentiated psychiatric from non-clinical groups. The Turkish CTQ-33 is a reliable and valid instrument. OP-OC by caregivers may be as traumatic as other types of childhood adversities. Cross-cultural research would illuminate the significance of OP-OC beyond Turkish culture. The possibility of intergenerational transmission of trauma through OP-OC by fearful parents in and after times of cultural upheaval and political oppression should be considered for future research.

M113. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTACHMENT STYLES AND CLINICAL PRESENTATION IN EARLY PSYCHOSIS PATIENTS

BackgroundResearch in both clinical and early psychosis samples is increasingly indicating that insecure attachment styles impact on psychosis symptom expression. Moreover, empirical support has been found for the assumption that specific types of insecure attachment predispose individuals to develop different symptom profiles. This study aimed to increase our understanding of the relevance of attachment styles in an early psychosis sample. To this end, we first examined the relationship of attachment styles with the severity of positive, negative and general symptom dimensions. Secondly, associations between attachment styles and specific positive psychotic symptoms were explored.MethodsA total of 96 (60 At-Risk Mental State and 36 First Episode Psychosis) patients participated in the study. Patients’ attachment style was assessed by the Psychosis Attachment Measure (PAM) and the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ). The PAM was used to evaluate attachment dimensions (i.e., anxiety and avoidance), whereas RQ was employed to classify participants into an attachment prototypes (i.e., secure, fearful, preoccupied or dismissive). In addition, patients were administered the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale. Correlation analyses examined the associations of patients’ attachment dimensions and patients’ attachment prototypes with symptom dimensions (positive, negative and general psychopathology) and specific positive psychotic symptoms (delusions, conceptual disorganization, hallucinations, excitement, grandiosity, paranoia and hostility).ResultsPatients’ attachment anxiety was associated with positive symptoms and general psychopathology, whereas no associations were found between attachment avoidance and symptom dimensions. Moreover, only attachment anxiety was related with specific positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and paranoia. Regarding the associations between attachment prototypes and symptom dimensions, only secure attachment was significantly related to decreased levels of general symptoms. Besides, secure attachment was associated with decreased levels of paranoia, whereas fearful attachment was related with increased levels of paranoid symptoms. No significant relationships were observed between dismissing and preoccupied attachment with specific positive symptoms.DiscussionThese findings highlight the potential role of secure attachment as a protective factor against poor clinical outcomes and are consistent with previous studies indicating that secure attachment confers a form of resilience for psychopathology. In contrast, attachment anxiety and fearful attachment might represent risk factors for general and positive symptoms. The fact that neither attachment dimensions nor attachment prototypes were associated with the negative symptom dimension seems to confirm previous findings and might suggest that the association of attachment with psychotic symptoms is more robust for the positive dimension. These findings highlight the need of tailoring interventions to patients’ attachment needs. This would include assessing patients’ attachment patterns, as the specific subtypes of insecure attachment style should provide guidance in the context of psychological formulation and treatment planning with early psychosis patients.

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining: The Positive Effect of Fearful Attachment State on Creative Idea Generation

Abstract As task situations across settings become more competitive and threatening, people face greater challenges in being creative amid these increasingly unfavorable conditions. We used the state-based attachment perspective and a gain/loss frame analysis to examine the temporary attachment state that leads to creative idea generation in a threatening task situation. Experimental data supported our hypothesis that full-time workers primed to have a temporary fearful (vs. secure) attachment state would generate more creative ideas related to a loss-framed task, but not in the context of a gain frame. We discuss potential mechanisms explaining the fearful attachment state’s positive effect on creativity in a threatening task context.

Attachment as a mechanism between childhood maltreatment and subclinical psychotic phenomena: Results from an eight-year follow-up study

We previously reported that fearful attachment mediated associations of childhood maltreatment with subclinical psychotic phenomena. At an eight-year follow-up, we aimed to replicate and extend this finding by examining the mediating role of disorganized attachment. Participants were 169 young adults who completed baseline and eight-year follow-up questionnaires. Physical/emotional maltreatment was prospectively associated with paranoid beliefs and positive schizotypy. For paranoid beliefs, fearful and disorganized attachment were significant mediators in separate models, whereas only disorganized was significant when examining all attachment styles concurrently. For positive schizotypy, no mediation was found. Findings support psychological models of paranoia and may inform intervention efforts.