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Attachment Styles (attachment + style)
Kinds of Attachment Styles Selected AbstractsMothers' Attachment Style, Their Mental Health, and Their Children's Emotional Vulnerabilities: A 7-Year Study of Children With Congenital Heart DiseaseJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 1 2008Ety Berant ABSTRACT The long-term contribution of mothers' attachment insecurities to their own and their children's psychological functioning was examined in a 7-year prospective longitudinal study of children with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). Sixty-three mothers of newborns with CHD participated in a three-wave study, beginning with the CHD diagnosis (T1), then 1 year later (T2), and again 7 years later (T3). At T1, the mothers reported on their attachment style and mental health. At T2, the mental health measure was administered again, along with a marital satisfaction scale. At T3, participants completed these two measures again, and their children reported on their self-concept and completed the Children's Apperception Test. Maternal avoidant attachment at T1 was the best predictor of deterioration in the mothers' mental health and marital satisfaction over the 7-year period, especially in a subgroup whose children had severe CHD. In addition, mothers' attachment insecurities (both anxiety and avoidance) at the beginning of the study were associated with their children's emotional problems and poor self-image 7 years later. [source] Parental Bonding and Adult Attachment Styles in Different Types of Stalker,JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 6 2008Rachel D. MacKenzie D.Psych. Abstract:, Attachment theory is one of the earliest and most vigorously promoted explanations of the psychological processes that underlie stalking behavior. Insecure attachment has been proposed as impairing the management of relationships, thus increasing the propensity to stalk. The current study explored the parental bonding and adult attachment styles of 122 stalkers referred to a specialist forensic clinic. Stalkers were grouped according to two common classification methods: relationship and motivation. Compared to general community samples, stalkers were more likely to remember their parents as emotionally neglectful and have insecure adult attachment styles, with the degree of divergence varying according to stalker type and mode of classification. In offering support for the theoretical proposition that stalking evolves from pathological attachment, these findings highlight the need to consider attachment in the assessment and management of stalkers. Also emphasized is the importance of taking classification methods into account when interpreting and evaluating stalking research. [source] Attachment style, affective loss and gray matter volume: A voxel-based morphometry studyHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 10 2010Stefania Benetti Abstract Early patterns of infant attachment have been shown to be an important influence on adult social behavior. Animal studies suggest that patterns of early attachment influence brain development, contributing to permanent alterations in neural structure; however, there are no previous studies investigating whether differences in attachment style are associated with differences in brain structure in humans. In this study, we used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to examine for the first time the association between attachment style, affective loss (for example, death of a loved one) and gray matter volume in a healthy sample of adults (n = 32). Attachment style was assessed on two dimensions (anxious and avoidant) using the ECR-Revised questionnaire. High attachment-related anxiety was associated with decreased gray matter in the anterior temporal pole and increased gray matter in the left lateral orbital gyrus. A greater number of affective losses was associated with increased gray matter volume in the cerebellum; in this region, however, the impact of affective losses was significantly moderated by the level of attachment-related avoidance. These findings indicate that differences in attachment style are associated with differences in the neural structure of regions implicated in emotion regulation. It is hypothesized that early attachment experience may contribute to structural brain differences associated with attachment style in adulthood; furthermore, these findings point to a neuronal mechanism through which attachment style may mediate individual differences in responses to affective loss. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Attachment style and coping resources as predictors of coping strategies in the transition to parenthoodPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 2 2001RICHARD ALEXANDER The relations among adult attachment style, coping resources, appraised strain, and coping strategies were examined in a prospective study of married couples having their first child (N= 92). Attachment and coping resources were measured during the second trimester of pregnancy, and parenting strain and coping strategies were assessed when the babies were about 6 weeks old. Results supported a theoretical model proposing that attachment is predictive of coping resources and appraised strain, and that attachment, resources, and strain are predictive of coping strategies. Results also highlighted the complexity of associations among attachment, stress, and coping: Gender differences in mean scores and predictive associations were obtained, and some interactions were found between resources and strain in predicting coping strategies. The findings support the utility of integrating theories of attachment and coping in explaining couples'adjustment to important developmental transitions. [source] Attachment style and intimacy in friendshipPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 4 2000CHANDRA M. GRABILL Two studies with college students tested the hypothesis that a secure attachment style enhances intimacy in friendship. Three intimacy characteristics were studied: self-disclosure; responsiveness to a partner's disclosure; and feeling understood, validated, and cared for by a partner during conversations. In Study 1, individuals with a secure attachment style were higher on all three intimacy characteristics In Study 2, a lab-based assessment of intimacy revealed some relations between attachment and intimacy, providing mixed support for the hypothesis. Both studies found gender differences in intimacy characteristics The findings provide a starting point for a model accounting for individual differences in friendship. [source] Attachment styles, conflict styles and humour styles: interrelationships and associations with relationship satisfactionEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2008Arnie Cann Abstract Relationships among attachment styles, conflict styles and humour styles were examined in the context of romantic relationships. Each style was assumed to be based upon underlying assumptions about self and others, so relationships among the measures were predicted. A model assuming that the relationship of attachment styles to relationship satisfaction was partially mediated by the conflict styles and humour styles was tested. Overall, the predicted relationships among the three measures were supported. Conflict styles and humour styles reflecting attitudes about others were related to the avoidance attachment style, while those reflecting attitudes about the self were related to the anxiety attachment dimension. Conflict styles and humour styles were mediators of the association of attachment style with relationship satisfaction. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Attachment styles, personality, and Dutch emigrants' intercultural adjustmentEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 5 2004Winny Bakker The present study examines the relationship of adult attachment styles with personality and psychological and sociocultural adjustment. A sample of 847 first-generation Dutch emigrants filled out measures for attachment styles, the Big Five, and indicators of psychological and sociocultural adjustment. Positive relationships were found between Secure attachment on the one hand and psychological and sociocultural adjustment on the other. Ambivalent attachment was strongly negatively associated with psychological adjustment. Dismissive attachment was mildly negatively related to sociocultural adjustment. Significant relations were found between attachment styles and the Big Five dimensions, particularly Extraversion and Emotional Stability. The attachment scales were able to explain variance in sociocultural adjustment beyond that explained by the Big Five dimensions. Intercultural adjustment is discussed from a transactional view of personality. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Attachment and spousal caregivingPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 1 2001JUDITH A. FEENEY A community sample of 362 married couples participated in a study of attachment and spousal caregiving, which combined qualitative and quantitative components. The qualitative component focused on actual experiences of caregiving, assessed by participants' semi-structured accounts of a situation involving their role as caregiver for their spouse. Attachment styles and their underlying dimensions (comfort with closeness, anxiety over relationships) were related to the type of support provided, the coping strategies used in the situation, caregivers' feelings about the quality of their care, perceived effects on the couple bond, and the emotional tone of the accounts. The quantitative component tested a theoretical model of factors predicting willingness to provide care for the spouse if he or she should become dependent in later life. Measures of attachment and caregiving styles, attachment to spouse, and anticipated burden provided reliable prediction of willingness to care. The results support the conceptualization of attachment and caregiving as interrelated features of marital bonds, and they have important implications for patterns of family caregiving. [source] Attachment styles, conflict styles and humour styles: interrelationships and associations with relationship satisfactionEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2008Arnie Cann Abstract Relationships among attachment styles, conflict styles and humour styles were examined in the context of romantic relationships. Each style was assumed to be based upon underlying assumptions about self and others, so relationships among the measures were predicted. A model assuming that the relationship of attachment styles to relationship satisfaction was partially mediated by the conflict styles and humour styles was tested. Overall, the predicted relationships among the three measures were supported. Conflict styles and humour styles reflecting attitudes about others were related to the avoidance attachment style, while those reflecting attitudes about the self were related to the anxiety attachment dimension. Conflict styles and humour styles were mediators of the association of attachment style with relationship satisfaction. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Loving styles: relationships with personality and attachment stylesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2004Patrick C. L. Heaven We investigated the ability of the major personality dimensions, some of their underlying facet scales, and attachment styles to predict primary and secondary loving styles, as conceptualized by Lee. Personality was assessed using the International Personality Item Pool, and attachment styles through an inventory devised by Collins and Read. Respondents were 302 undergraduate students (212 females; 90 males) who participated in the study in exchange for course credit. Results of regression path analysis showed that N was the only personality dimension without direct predictive links to loving styles. Instead, the influence of N was through an anxious attachment style. There were no personality predictors of Agape, and similarities were also observed between these results and those obtained in Hong Kong. The results are discussed with reference to previous studies and some suggestions for further research are also noted. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Attachment style, affective loss and gray matter volume: A voxel-based morphometry studyHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 10 2010Stefania Benetti Abstract Early patterns of infant attachment have been shown to be an important influence on adult social behavior. Animal studies suggest that patterns of early attachment influence brain development, contributing to permanent alterations in neural structure; however, there are no previous studies investigating whether differences in attachment style are associated with differences in brain structure in humans. In this study, we used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to examine for the first time the association between attachment style, affective loss (for example, death of a loved one) and gray matter volume in a healthy sample of adults (n = 32). Attachment style was assessed on two dimensions (anxious and avoidant) using the ECR-Revised questionnaire. High attachment-related anxiety was associated with decreased gray matter in the anterior temporal pole and increased gray matter in the left lateral orbital gyrus. A greater number of affective losses was associated with increased gray matter volume in the cerebellum; in this region, however, the impact of affective losses was significantly moderated by the level of attachment-related avoidance. These findings indicate that differences in attachment style are associated with differences in the neural structure of regions implicated in emotion regulation. It is hypothesized that early attachment experience may contribute to structural brain differences associated with attachment style in adulthood; furthermore, these findings point to a neuronal mechanism through which attachment style may mediate individual differences in responses to affective loss. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Insecure adult attachment style and depressive symptoms: Implications for parental perceptions of infant temperamentINFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 2 2004Anu-Katriina Pesonen The current study tested associations between parental depressive symptoms, adult attachment styles, and perceptions of infant temperament among 319 mother,infant and 173 father,infant dyads. Depressive symptoms and insecure attachment style among the mothers and/or fathers were associated with perceptions of the infant as temperamentally more negatively and/or less positively tuned. Multivariate analyses of depressive symptoms and attachment styles with perceived temperament suggest that depressive symptoms and perceived temperament remain significantly associated, while the associations between attachment styles and perceived temperament, in most instances, were reduced to nonsignificance. We also tested whether secure attachment among the parents buffered any negatively and/or positively tuned depression-related perceptions, but found no supporting evidence. Even though the study results await replication in longitudinal designs, they nevertheless underline the significance of parental depressive information processing in the perceiving of infant temperament. ©2004 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. [source] Childhood trauma has dose-effect relationship with dropping out from psychotherapeutic treatment for bulimia nervosa: A replicationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 2 2001Jennifer Mahon Abstract Objective The primary goal of this study was to replicate the finding that experiences of childhood trauma have a dose-effect relationship with dropping out from psychotherapeutic treatment for bulimia nervosa. It also aimed to replicate logistic regression findings that parental break-up predicts dropping out. Method The cohort consisted of 114 women consecutively presenting to an outpatient eating disorders clinic with bulimia nervosa or atypical bulimia nervosa. Data were gathered using a retrospective, case-note approach and were analysed using logistic regression (LR). A correlation technique was employed to assess the presence of a dose-effect relationship between experiences of trauma in childhood and dropping out. LR models were double cross-validated between this and an earlier cohort. Results The dose-effect relationship between experiences of childhood trauma and dropping out was confirmed. Witnessing parental break-up in childhood again predicted dropping out of treatment in adulthood. Cross-validation of LR equations was unsuccessful. Discussion These results strongly suggest that experiences of childhood trauma have a dose-effect relationship with dropping out. Parental break-up is a stable predictor of dropping out. It is possible that these experiences influence attachment style, particularly the ability to make and maintain a trusting relationship with a psychotherapist. Clinical implications are discussed. © 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 30: 138,148, 2001. [source] Attachment, emotional loneliness, and bullying behaviour: A study of adult and young offendersAGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 4 2004Jane L. Ireland Abstract This research addresses the question of whether or not offenders who bully others and/or are victimised themselves can be distinguished by their attachment styles and the level of emotional loneliness that they report. Adult and young male offenders (n = 220) were required to complete a self-report behavioural checklist (DIPC: Direct and Indirect Prisoner behaviour Checklist: Ireland, 1999a) that addressed the level of bullying behaviour at their present institution. Offenders were also required to complete a measure of attachment, namely the Three Attachment Style Measure [Hazan and Shaver, 1987] exploring secure, avoidant and anxious/ambivalent styles, and a measure of emotional loneliness, namely the revised UCLA Loneliness scale [Russell, Peplaw and Cutrona, 1980]. Young offenders were more likely than adult offenders to report behaviours indicative of ,bullying others' and of ,being bullied.' With regards to attachment style and bullying behaviour, significant differences were restricted to avoidant attachment; bully/victims reported higher avoidant scores than the other bully-categories, with pure bullies and those not-involved reporting lower avoidant scores. Finally, when considering emotional loneliness and bullying behaviour, bully/victims reported higher scores on emotional loneliness than the other bully-categories, with the not-involved group reporting significantly lower scores. Aggr. Behav. 30:298,312, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The crucial roles of attachment in family therapyJOURNAL OF FAMILY THERAPY, Issue 2 2008John Byng-Hall This paper's aim is to enable family therapists from whatever approach to address family attachments during their work. It explores the role of attachment in the family, and how to enable therapists to increase security in the family so that family members can solve their own problems during and after therapy. The article gives a brief overview of the nature of family attachment relationships and the influence of secure and insecure attachments within the family and their narrative styles. This is described in language that a therapist might readily hold in mind and share the ideas in dialogue with families. The paper discusses the interplay between insecure attachments and other family problems, such as parental conflict and disagreements over authority. It also discusses ways of establishing a secure therapeutic base and the influence of the therapist's own attachment style. The implications for family therapy practice are described and illustrated by work with a specific family. [source] Breastfeeding duration and postpartum psychological adjustment: Role of maternal attachment stylesJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 6 2008pek Akman Aim: Depressive and anxiety symptoms are common in new mothers. The aim of this study is to explore the link between postpartum psychological adjustment and feeding preferences of the mothers. Methods: Sixty mothers and newborns were enrolled in this prospective, longitudinal study. Maternal depressive symptoms were screened by the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS), and maternal anxiety level was assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory at 1 month postpartum. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support was used for the assessment of maternal social support. The Adult Attachment Scale was used to determine the attachment style of the mother. Infants were examined and evaluated at 1 and 4 months of life. Results: All mothers started breastfeeding their infants postpartum; 91% and 68.1% continued exclusive breastfeeding at 1 and 4 months, respectively. The first-month median EPDS score of mothers who breastfeed at the fourth month was statistically significantly lower than those who were not breastfeeding (6 and 12, respectively) (P = 0001). The first-month median EPDS score of mothers with secure attachment was lower than the median score of mothers with insecure attachment (5 and 9, respectively) (P < 0001). Exclusive breastfeeding rate was not statistically different among mothers with secure and insecure attachment styles. The median state and trait anxiety scores and social support scores of mothers were not different between groups according to breastfeeding status. Conclusions: This study has shown an association between higher EPDS scores and breastfeeding cessation by 4 months after delivery. [source] Mothers' Attachment Style, Their Mental Health, and Their Children's Emotional Vulnerabilities: A 7-Year Study of Children With Congenital Heart DiseaseJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 1 2008Ety Berant ABSTRACT The long-term contribution of mothers' attachment insecurities to their own and their children's psychological functioning was examined in a 7-year prospective longitudinal study of children with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). Sixty-three mothers of newborns with CHD participated in a three-wave study, beginning with the CHD diagnosis (T1), then 1 year later (T2), and again 7 years later (T3). At T1, the mothers reported on their attachment style and mental health. At T2, the mental health measure was administered again, along with a marital satisfaction scale. At T3, participants completed these two measures again, and their children reported on their self-concept and completed the Children's Apperception Test. Maternal avoidant attachment at T1 was the best predictor of deterioration in the mothers' mental health and marital satisfaction over the 7-year period, especially in a subgroup whose children had severe CHD. In addition, mothers' attachment insecurities (both anxiety and avoidance) at the beginning of the study were associated with their children's emotional problems and poor self-image 7 years later. [source] Performance comparisons and attachment: An investigation of competitive responses in close relationshipsPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 3 2005ANTHONY SCINTA Two studies investigated whether affective responses to competitive performance situations are moderated by attachment style. In Study 1, participants (n= 115) imagined their reactions to a superior or inferior performance against their romantic partner or an acquaintance. Results showed that participants low in attachment avoidance, relative to those high in avoidance, indicated more positivity after an inferior performance (empathy effect) to their partners, and this finding held only in domains of high importance to the partner. In Study 2, participants (n= 53) imagined comparisons with their partner or a close friend. Low-avoidance participants, relative to high-avoidance participants, exhibited sympathy and empathy effects in comparisons involving their romantic partner but not those involving a friend. The findings are discussed in terms of one's model of other and perceived self,other separation, which are defined by avoidance but not anxiety. [source] Direct and indirect pathways between adult attachment style and marital satisfactionPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 2 2002Steven A. Meyers We explored direct, mediated, and moderated associations between adult attachment style and marital satisfaction using a community-based sample of 73 married women. Continuous ratings of secure, avoidant, and ambivalent attachment styles were related to levels of marital satisfaction. However, psychological distress mediated the association between secure attachment and marital satisfaction, and social support mediated the relation between avoidant attachment and marital satisfaction. In addition, psychological distress moderated the relation between both secure and avoidant attachment styles and marital satisfaction. [source] Attachment style and coping resources as predictors of coping strategies in the transition to parenthoodPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 2 2001RICHARD ALEXANDER The relations among adult attachment style, coping resources, appraised strain, and coping strategies were examined in a prospective study of married couples having their first child (N= 92). Attachment and coping resources were measured during the second trimester of pregnancy, and parenting strain and coping strategies were assessed when the babies were about 6 weeks old. Results supported a theoretical model proposing that attachment is predictive of coping resources and appraised strain, and that attachment, resources, and strain are predictive of coping strategies. Results also highlighted the complexity of associations among attachment, stress, and coping: Gender differences in mean scores and predictive associations were obtained, and some interactions were found between resources and strain in predicting coping strategies. The findings support the utility of integrating theories of attachment and coping in explaining couples'adjustment to important developmental transitions. [source] Attachment style and intimacy in friendshipPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 4 2000CHANDRA M. GRABILL Two studies with college students tested the hypothesis that a secure attachment style enhances intimacy in friendship. Three intimacy characteristics were studied: self-disclosure; responsiveness to a partner's disclosure; and feeling understood, validated, and cared for by a partner during conversations. In Study 1, individuals with a secure attachment style were higher on all three intimacy characteristics In Study 2, a lab-based assessment of intimacy revealed some relations between attachment and intimacy, providing mixed support for the hypothesis. Both studies found gender differences in intimacy characteristics The findings provide a starting point for a model accounting for individual differences in friendship. [source] Combining idiographic and nomothetic methods in the study of internal working modelsPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 2 2000WARREN A. REICH Attachment theory's notion of internal working model refers to an affective,cognitive structure that guides how individuals experience, and act within, their close relationships. Understanding working models in general (i.e., nomothetically) can be greatly enhanced by attending to the unique (i.e., idiographic) properties of individuals'data. A general method is described for eliciting and empirically representing both the common and unique properties of individuals'descriptions of self and others. This approach is illustrated by two studies in which participants described self and others in a variety of significant roles and relationships by choosing from a list of attachment-related descriptive terms. A hierarchical clustering algorithm, HICLAS (DeBoeck & Rosenberg, 1988), is used to generate a unique graphical representation for each individual's responses. We illustrate the use of HICLAS to (a) assess nomothetic properties of the structures and relate those properties to other variables such as attachment style, and (b) link aspects of any individual's structure with other idiographic data such as interview narratives. Data from HICLAS enhances the interpretation of other, more qualitative idiographic information, and helps to produce new constructs, variables, and propositions amenable to rigorous hypothesis tests in future research. [source] Quality of Care After Early Childhood Trauma and Well-Being in Later Life: Child Holocaust Survivors Reaching Old AgeAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 4 2007Elisheva van der Hal-van Raalte PhD The link between deprivation and trauma during earliest childhood and psychosocial functioning and health in later life was investigated in a group of child Holocaust survivors. In a nonconvenience sample 203 survivors, born between 1935 and 1944, completed questionnaires on Holocaust survival experience and several inventories on current health, depression, posttraumatic stress, loneliness, and attachment style. Quality of postwar care arrangements and current physical health independently predicted lack of well-being in old age. Loss of parents during the persecution, year of birth of the survivors (being born before or during the war), and memories of the Holocaust did not significantly affect present well-being. Lack of adequate care after the end of World War II is associated with lower well-being of the youngest Holocaust child survivors, even after an intervening period of 60 years. Our study validates Keilson's (1992) concept of "sequential traumatization," and points to the importance of aftertrauma care in decreasing the impact of early childhood trauma. [source] Disorganized Reasoning in Holocaust SurvivorsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2002Abraham Sagi PhD In 2 related studies of nonclinical Israeli samples, the long-term sequelae of traumatic Holocaust experiences were investigated from an attachment perspective. In each study. Holocaust survivors were compared with participants who had not experienced the Holocaust, and their attachment style and state of mind with regard to past and present attachment experiences as well as their state of mind regarding unresolved loss were assessed. In both studies, the Holocaust groups were found to be significantly more inclined to show disoriented thought processes around trauma than were the groups without Holocaust background. From an attachment perspective, the authors showed that even after 50 years, traumatic traces of Holocaust experiences are present in the survivors. [source] Attachment Style Classification and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Former Prisoners of WarAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2001Michael Dieperink M.D., Ph.D. Adult attachment style and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology were investigated in 107 former prisoner of war veterans. Those with secure attachment styles scored significantly lower on measures of PTSD than did those with insecure styles, and attachment style was a stronger predictor of PTSD symptom intensity than was trauma severity. The suggested association between attachment style and PTSD's development and persistence are discussed in relation to research and clinical practice. [source] Marketplace and personal space: Investigating the differential effects of attachment style across relationship contextsPSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, Issue 8 2006Matthew Thomson An individual's tendencies in purely personal relationships seem to lead to related tendencies in consumer relationships. The following article presents a study that illustrates how individual differences in personal relationship attachment style can be used to predict the likely success of consumer relationships. In addition, it illustrates how the success of consumption versus nonconsumption relationships can be explained by the effect of attachment style on the individual's perception of qualities of the relationship. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Attachment, ego,identity development and exploratory interest in university studentsASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2002Warren A. Reich We investigated the relationships between attachment security, ego,identity development and exploratory interest in 161 university students who completed categorical and dimensional scales of attachment style, an ego,identity development scale based on Erikson's theory, and an exploratory interest scale. Factor analysis yielded three interpretable dimensions of exploratory interest: intellect, escape and activity. High ego development was associated with attachment security. Exploratory interest was weakly associated with attachment security, but more strongly associated with high ego,identity development. Further analyses revealed that ego,identity development predicts escape only for those with a negative model of self (i.e. preoccupied and fearful attachment styles), an ego,identity development predicts activity only for those with a positive model of self (i.e. secure and dismissing attachment styles). [source] Family stress and BMI in young childrenACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 8 2010C Stenhammar Abstract Aim:, The aim of this study was to investigate if family stress and parental attachment style are associated with body mass index (BMI) in young children, and identify possible explanations. Methods:, A cross-sectional survey with a two-stage design was used. Parents of 873 children participated. They completed a demographic questionnaire, the Swedish Parenthood Stress Questionnaire (SPSQ), the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) and reported their children's television-viewing habits (as a marker of physical activity). Children's height, weight and BMI were obtained from a general population-based register, BASTA. Associations with over- and underweight in children were assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results:, Family stress indicated by SPSQ-score was associated with suboptimal BMI. Maternal, but not paternal, SPSQ-stress score was statistically significantly associated with overweight and underweight, with adjusted odds ratios (and 95% confidence interval) of 4.61 (3.11,6.84; p < 0.001) and 3.08 (1.64,5.81; p < 0.001) respectively. Associations between childhood BMI and parental attachment style were identified, but were not independent of maternal SPSQ-score. Conclusion:, Our findings support a role for family stress in development of both overweight and underweight among young children. This is likely to be attributed to behavioural mechanisms but a more direct metabolic influence of stress could also be involved. [source] Social rank and attachment in people with a bipolar disorderCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 1 2007P. Gilbert This paper explores the relationship between personal evaluations of attachment and personal evaluations of social rank, in relationship to mood variation in bipolar disorder. Forty patients with diagnosed bipolar affective disorder, who were regarded as ,relatively stable' by their psychiatrist, were given a set of self-report questionnaires, measuring attachment style, social comparison, submissive behaviour and various aspects of mood. Mood variation within this group was highly linked to variation in social rank evaluations. In particular, elevated mood was associated with feeling superior, while depression was associated with feeling inferior. Attachment also varied with mood but appeared to be less related to mood in this group. This study suggests that variation in social rank evaluations may be significantly associated with mood variation in patients with a bipolar disorder.,Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Distress and post-traumatic stress disorders in high risk professionals: adult attachment style and the dimensions of anxiety and avoidanceCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 4 2006Frédéric Declercq This study examines the relationship between adult attachment and psychological distress in a population of 544 people working for a security company and for the Belgian Red Cross. The results indicate that fearful,avoidant and preoccupied attached individuals report more stress than secure attached and insecure attached individuals of the dismissive type. Next, the same attachment styles appear to differentiate between individuals who do and individuals who do not develop a post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) after being confronted with a critical incident. Breaking the attachment styles into the two underlying dimensions of attachment anxiety and avoidance, our results suggest that anxiety is more of an issue than avoidance in psychological distress and the occurrence of PTSD.,Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||