Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire Research Articles

Adult attachment and birth experience: importance of a secure base and safe haven during childbirth

ABSTRACTObjective: Examine connections between mothers’ adult attachment and subjective birth experience in the context of parity and mode of delivery.Background: Research has established a clear connection between adult attachment and birth experience. This study extended previous research with an in-depth self-report attachment measure examining different dimensions of mothers’ attachment representations and their relation to subjective birth experience. Interactions between mode of delivery and parity were also considered. Method: Participants were 257 mothers who gave birth 4 days to 12 months prior to the study. Mothers’ mean age was 30.5 years, 61% primiparas, and 26% delivered by caesarean. Participants completed an online survey with the Birth Experience Questionnaire, the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire, and demographic information.Results: Hierarchical moderated regression analyses showed direct effects from adult attachment dimensions to mothers’ subjective birth experiences, specifically perceived availability, feared loss, separation protest, angry withdrawal, and compulsive careseeking. Interactions emerged for parity and/or mode of delivery for overall subjective birth experience, perceived control, perceived social support, and satisfaction.Conclusion: Adult attachment representations related to subjective birth experience, indicating that attachment figures serve as secure bases and safe havens for mothers during childbirth. These results have implications for practitioners and provide direction for future research.

Attachment to people and to objects in obsessive-compulsive disorder: an exploratory comparison of hoarders and non-hoarders

People with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) who hoard have been posited to have an atypical emotional attachment to the inanimate objects that they pathologically accumulate, yet this hypothesis has not been formally examined using methodology from the attachment field. To explore this hypothesis, attachment to people and to inanimate objects was assessed in 30 individuals with OCD (n = 14 hoarders, n = 16 non-hoarders). Attachment was assessed using standard measures of interpersonal attachment: the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire and the Five Minute Speech Statement. These measures were adapted to evaluate inanimate object attachment as well. The data provides preliminary evidence that individuals who hoard report significantly higher levels of emotional over-involvement (EOI) with inanimate objects and lower levels of EOI with people than non-hoarders. Hoarders also reported significantly higher levels of care-seeking behavior from inanimate objects, and less effectiveness in making use of the inanimate object relationship in comparison to non-hoarders. Hoarding severity was correlated with significantly increased dysfunction in all of these areas. Fear of losing an inanimate object was found to significantly predict hoarding severity. In general, female participants had significantly higher mean ratings of interpersonal attachment insecurity than male participants, regardless of OCD symptomatology. Although limited in sample size and methodology, this study provides preliminary data on attachment style in people with OCD, and the data generate specific hypotheses about attachment in those who compulsively hoard that should be explored in future research.

Comparison of Attachment Styles in Borderline Personality Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

The intense, unstable interpersonal relationships characteristic of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are thought to represent insecure attachment. The Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire was used to compare the attachment styles of patients with BPD to the styles of patients with a contrasting personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). The results showed that patients with BPD were more likely to exhibit angry withdrawal and compulsive care-seeking attachment patterns. Patients with BPD also scored higher on the dimensions of lack of availability of the attachment figure, feared loss of the attachment figure, lack of use of the attachment figure, and separation protest. The findings may be relevant for understanding the core interpersonal psychopathology of BPD and for managing therapeutic relationships with these patients.

The Relationship of Adult Attachment Constructs to Object Relational Patterns of Representing Self and Others

This study examined the relation between attachment constructs assessed by self-report and object relations constructs assessed from narratives. Young adult participants (N = 65; median age 28) completed the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire (West, Sheldon, &Reiffer, 1987), provided a set of interpersonal narratives rated using the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (SCORS; Westen, Barends, Leigh, Mendel, &Silbert, 1994), and completed other relationship-related measures. Results suggest some conceptual convergence between internal working models and representations of self, others, and relationships; for example, individuals who perceive significant others as offering a secure base for emotional connection tend to have complex, well-differentiated representations of self and others. In addition, multiple dimensions of object relationships were found to be significantly associated with participants' relationship status (current involvement in a significant relationship) and their parents' marital status.

Parental rearing and substance related disorders—a multi‐factorial controlled study in a Swedish sample

AbstractDysfunctional parental rearing was investigated to evaluate cognitive self‐protective strategies in a high‐risk sample from the Methadone Maintenance Programme, Stockholm, Sweden, and healthy subjects respectively. The Bowlby‐Scale, the ASQ‐SWED, the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire, the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale and the Dysfunctional Working Models Scale were used. Results confirm insecure attachment (types A, C, D) among addicts and secure attachment (type B) among controls. The influence of the pathological pattern Compulsive self‐reliance on the personality factor Confidence in self and others was 40.3 times higher (odds ratio) for addicts. The content of schemas in substance‐related disorders shows an individual vulnerability associated with a decreased social competence and a very high risk for the development of various types of psychopathology. On the other hand, findings obtained in control subjects attest to a ‘normal’ organization of self‐protective strategies and a pattern of behaviour mainly based on secure attachment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Attachment Style in Adjustment to Conjugal Bereavement

This study examined the role of attachment style in adjustment to bereavement. Midlife bereaved individuals whose spouse had died in the previous year completed the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire (RAQ; West & Sheldon-Keller, 1994) and a measure assessing aspects of appraising and coping with the loss. They also were administered repeated symptom measures at 6, 14, 25, and 60 months post-bereavement. Complete symptom measures data over the course of the 5-year period were available for 32 participants. The RAQ compulsive care-seeking measure of anxious attachment was predictive of appraised inability to cope with the loss and of more severe symptomatology over the course of 5 years. Furthermore, appraised inability to cope with the loss was shown to mediate the relationship between compulsive care-seeking and symptoms. The RAQ compulsive self-reliance measure of avoidant attachment was not related to symptomatology, however. Finally, the RAQ angry withdrawal measure of ambivalent attachment was predictive of 6 and 14 months post-loss symptoms, but not of 25-or 60-month symptoms. The differences in the pattern of findings for compulsive care-seeking and angry withdrawal are discussed in the context of previous findings in the bereavement literature on the role of dependency and ambivalence in bereavement-related adjustment.

Attachment patterns in eating disorders: past in the present.

There is a wide literature suggesting abnormal mother-daughter and familial attachment patterns in individuals with eating disorders. We surmised that this insecurity would extend to adult attachment relationships. The Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire (RAQ) was administered to all inpatients and outpatients at a tertiary referral eating disorders unit over a given period of time, and to controls. The RAQ operationalizes the key components of reciprocal attachment, and is in close theoretical agreement with the Adult Attachment Interview. Patients scored significantly higher than controls on most scales of the RAQ, most notably on Compulsive Care-Seeking and Compulsive Self-Reliance. We did not find any associations between eating disorder diagnoses and particular attachment profiles. A basic "pull-push" dilemma was demonstrated in the reciprocal attachment relationships of eating-disordered subjects. This dilemma bedevils attempts at therapy and may illuminate the strong feelings elicited by these patients in their therapists. The association of attachment style with particular disorder subgroup diagnoses is complicated. Childhood attachment insecurity may provide a vulnerability whose symptomatic manifestation is colored by later events.

Experiences of parental rearing and patterns of attachment in adulthood

Three hundred and sixty-one non-clinical subjects were investigated for associations between experiences of parental rearing, and various measures of attachment in adulthood. Experiences of parental rearing were assessed by the EMBU (a Swedish acronym for ‘Own memories of parental rearing’). The AAS (Adult Attachment Scale), the ASQ (Attachment Styles Questionnaire), and the RAQ (Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire) were used to assess patterns of attachment in adulthood. The rationale for choosing different attachment instruments was to have measures which take into account different kinds of relationships. Three main predictions were: (1) there will be a significant positive relationship between the experience of emotional warmth and indicators of secure attachment; (2) there will be a significant negative relationship between experiences of dysfunctional parenting and measures of insecure attachment, and (3) findings will be consistent across all three attachment measures, independently of the kind of relationship taken into account. All three predictions were supported. The results are congruent with what would be expected within the framework of attachment theory. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Insecure attachment in a subgroup with ulcerative colitis defined by ANCA status.

This study is the first test of the novel hypothesis that perinuclear anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (p-ANCA) marks an etiological division between stress-susceptible and stress-neutral ulcerative colitis. Subjects were 47 UC patients with known p-ANCA status (19 p-ANCA-positive, 28 p-ANCA-absent). Controls were 77 university students. Subjects and controls completed the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire. Subjects were categorized as avoidant/nonavoidant and anxious/nonanxious based on scores for compulsive self-reliance and compulsive care seeking, respectively. A higher prevalence of avoidant attachment was present in p-ANCA-absent (58.6%) than p-ANCA-positive subjects (22.2%, chi-square = 5.95, P < 0.02). There was no difference in the prevalence of anxious attachment between p-ANCA-absent and p-ANCA-positive subjects. There was no difference in clinical and psychiatric variables between groups. This finding provides support for a psychobiological contribution to UC in a subgroup identified by the absence of p-ANCA.

Anxious Attachment and Severity of Depressive Symptomatology in Women

ABSTRACT The present research evaluated a conceptual model that links anxious attachment to depressive symptomatology in women. Four hundred and twenty women completed the following measures: Socio-demographic questionnaire, the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire, the Social Support Questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Global Assessment of Recent Stress Scale. Results indicate that feared loss of the attachment figure, intense proximity seeking and lack of use of the attachment figure were predictive of depressive symptomatology. We also found that lower levels of self-esteem and higher levels of recent stress were predictive of depressive symptomatology. The implications of these findings for the understanding of symptoms of depression in women is discussed.

A Comparison of Two Measures to Assess Adult Attachment

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between two different approaches to the assessment of adult attachment. The approaches were C. Hazan and P. R. Shaver's (1987) categorization of three attachment styles and the dimensional system of the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire (RAQ; M. West & A. Sheldon-Keller, 1992). Participants were 196 (72 men and 124 women) respondents to a community survey. Multiple regression results showed that the three attachment groups differed significantly on three dimensions of the RAQ: feared loss of the attachment figure, perceived availability of the attachment figure, and use of the attachment figure. In addition, men and women differed significantly on use of the attachment figure, independent of their attachment style. The results indicate that the two approaches to the assessment of adult attachment are interrelated in meaningful ways.

Anxious attachment and self-reported depressive symptomatology in women.

Lack of intimacy has been identified as an important provoking agent that increases the risk of depressive symptoms in women. This study precisely characterized lack of intimacy by assessing a woman's attachment style and investigated the specificity of association between depressive symptoms and an anxious attachment pattern. Four hundred and twenty women participated in this cross-sectional study of depressive symptomatology and anxious attachment. All participants completed the following measures: a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire, the Social Support Questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Global Assessment of Recent Stress Scale. A score of 16 or above on the CES-D, which indicates the presence of depressive symptoms, was used to divide the sample into 2 groups: a depressed group (N = 129) and a nondepressed group (N = 291). We found that women in the depressive symptomatology group were more likely than women in the nondepressive symptomatology group to exhibit anxious attachment and adverse social and cognitive characteristics. Lower levels of self-esteem and higher levels of recent stress were also predictive of depressive symptomatology. Feared loss of the attachment figure and a lack of use of the attachment figure were independent predictors of depressive symptomatology in the same model. The feared loss of security associated with an attachment figure seems to be related to an increased likelihood of depressive symptoms.

Quality of attachment and hostility in cardiac rehabilitation patients

One hundred and fifty-seven patients in a cardiac rehabilitation programme participated in a study to investigate the association of attachment style with hostility. Attachment is a biologically-based behavioural system in which proximity to a special other is sought or maintained to achieve a sense of safety and security. Dysfunctional attachment fails to achieve the function of attachment in the sense of individuals having little or no confidence in the availability of their attachment figures. Attachment style was assessed using the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire and hostility was assessed using the Cook and Medley Hostility Inventory. The results indicate that intense proximity-seeking and generalized anger toward the attachment figure differentiate high-hostility patients from low-hostility patients. There were no significant differences between males and females in the relationship between attachment style and hostility. The implications of these findings for the understanding of the interpersonal relationships of hostile cardiac patients are discussed.

Measuring adult attachment: are self-report instruments congruent?

To assess the association between several recently generated measures of adult attachment, a sample of 160 college students were administered the following 6 scales: Hazan-Shaver attachment self-report (Hazan & Shaver, 1987), Attachment Style Measure (Simpson, 1990), Adult Attachment Scale (Collins & Read, 1990), Attachment Style Inventory (Sperling & Berman, 1991), Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire (West, Sheldon, & Reiffer, 1987), and Anxious Romantic Attachment Scale (Hindy, Schwarz, & Brodsky, 1989). Findings indicated that scale and subscale reliability and intercorrelations generally show sufficient evidence of expected consistencies. There is also indication for a primary distinction between the omnibus spheres of positive-affiliative attachment versus negative-conflictual attachment, with secondary distinctions among the attachment styles within each sphere. Notwithstanding the overall consistencies, suggestions are offered for context-specific utilization of each of the measures reviewed.

Attachment problems and depressive symptomatology in cardiac rehabilitation patients

One hundred fifty-nine adults in a cardiac rehabilitation clinic participated in a study investigating the association of attachment styles with depressive symptomatology. We assessed attachment style using the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire and assessed depressive symptomatology using the Symptom Checklist-90-R. Depressed cardiac rehabilitation participants of both genders reported an anxious style of attachment, characterized by intense care seeking in relation to their attachment figures and generalized anger toward their attachment figures. The findings extend previous reports, which indicate that the quality of the marital relationship is a critical variable in determining cardiac rehabilitation patients' adjustments and suggest that assessment of attachment styles can enhance specificity of description in this area.

Family Environment Characteristics of Persons with Histrionic and Dependent Personality Disorders

Borderline pathology has been characterized by intense, unstable interpersonal relations, which has been associated with deficits in object relations as well as insecure styles of attachment. This study explores the degree and nature of differences in attachment behavioral manifestations, attachment style, and attachment history between two differing samples, inpatient borderline and college normal. The two groups were compared on five measures assessing behavioral and representational aspects of attachment related phenomena: the Bell Object Relations Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI), Sperling's Attachment Style Inventory (ASI), West and Sheldon's Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire (RAQ), Hazan and Shaver s Attachment Self-Report (HS), and a newly constructed Attachment History Adjective Sort (AHAS). Significant differences emerged on all measures, supporting the hypothesis that the maladaptive interpersonal relations associated with BPD can be usefully understood from an attachment perspective that of...

Attachment Style, History, and Behavioral Contrasts for A Borderline and Normal Sample

Borderline pathology has been characterized by intense, unstable interpersonal relations, which has been associated with deficits in object relations as well as insecure styles of attachment. This study explores the degree and nature of differences in attachment behavioral manifestations, attachment style, and attachment history between two differing samples, inpatient borderline and college normal. The two groups were compared on five measures assessing behavioral and representational aspects of attachment related phenomena: the Bell Object Relations Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI), Sperling's Attachment Style Inventory (ASI), West and Sheldon's Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire (RAQ), Hazan and Shaver s Attachment Self-Report (HS), and a newly constructed Attachment History Adjective Sort (AHAS). Significant differences emerged on all measures, supporting the hypothesis that the maladaptive interpersonal relations associated with BPD can be usefully understood from an attachment perspective that offers some unique contributions over an object relations perspective, particularly in the area of attachment styles. Variations on subscales of the attachment measures were further investigated in order to more specifically identify those aspects of insecure attachment that are unique to BPD.