Search results for "Attachment measures"

Adult attachment representation moderates psychotherapy treatment efficacy in clinically depressed inpatients

2016

Abstract Background We explored in a sample of clinically depressed patients the influence of attachment security and unresolved trauma on psychotherapeutic outcome as well as changes in attachment representation through psychotherapeutic intervention. Methods The sample consisted of 85 women (aged 19–52), 43 clinically depressed patients from a psychosomatic inpatient unit, and 42 healthy control subjects matched for age and education. Average length of hospitalization in the patient group was eight weeks. Attachment representations were assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview at the time of admission (baseline) and at discharge. Depressive symptoms were measured using the PHQ-9 at T1…

Incongruence Between Implicit Attachment Schemes and Unconscious Attachment Representations.

2019

Assessments based on reaction time and language-based interviews postulate that unconscious attachment processes be measured. Nevertheless, a possible empirical equivalence of these two approaches has not yet been investigated. To fill this void, the Adult Attachment Interview and the Implicit Association Test were implemented with a group of patients with panic disorder (n = 157, mean age = 29, SD = 2.47) based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, axis I and II disorders and a group of healthy individuals (n = 138). In total, the securely attached individuals showed significantly more positive attitudes toward their mother than the insecurely attached individuals. In the health…

Adult attachment and gene polymorphisms of the dopamine D4 receptor and serotonin transporter (5-HTT).

2010

Recently, the Dopamine D4 Receptor Gene (DRD4) and the Serotonin Transporter Gene (5-HTT) have been found to be candidate genes for infant attachment disorganization. The present study aimed to explore the relationship of these genes to adult attachment representations. The Adult Attachment Interview was used to assess attachment representations in 167 German adults. DNA from buccal cells was genotyped for the DRD4 VNTR Exon III and 5-HTT LPR polymorphisms with respect to the presence of the 7repeat allele and the short allele, respectively. DRD4 7repeat allele carriers were significantly more likely to be securely attached than those without 7repeat but only for subjects with unloving care…

Das Adult Attachment Interview - Grundlagen, Anwendung und Einsatzmöglichkeiten im klinischen Alltag

2013

The present paper looks at the potential of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and its underlying basis in attachment theory for use in psychotherapeutic work. We summarize the basic tenets of attachment theory, detail the content and structure of the AAI, provide instructions for conducting the AAI, and introduce the Main et al. (2002) coding system. We then report on associations between AAI-Attachment groups and psychosomatic diseases and, finally, demonstrate applications of the AAI in clinical work and research.

Coping Trajectories from Adolescence to Young Adulthood: Links to Attachment State of Mind

2005

The objective of this study was to examine the links between coping and attachment. In a longitudinal study of 112 participants, coping behavior was assessed at five points in time during adolescence (starting at the age of 14 years) and early adulthood. In addition, at the age of 21 years, state of mind regarding current and earlier attachment experiences was assessed by employing the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). In both adolescence and early adulthood, differences in coping styles were found to be related to differences in attachment. Individuals classified as secure dealt with their problems more actively by using their social network during adolescence and at the age of 21 years. B…

Movement and Emotional Facial Expressions during the Adult Attachment Interview: Interaction Effects of Attachment and Anxiety Disorder

2019

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Adult attachment is commonly associated with emotion regulation. Less is known about the nonverbal embodiment of adult attachment. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> We hypothesized that dismissing attachment is related to less movement and fewer facial expressions of emotions, whereas preoccupied attachment is associated with more negative emotional facial expressions. Moreover, the interaction of attachment and the presence of an anxiety disorder (AD) was explored. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The sample included 95 individuals, 21 with AD without comorbidity, 21 with AD and comorbid major depression (AD-C…

La strutturazione del legame di attaccamento in minori esposti a violenza domestica

2017

The construction of an attachment bond in children exposed to domestic violence. The structuring of the attachment bond may be influenced by specific characteristics related to individuals and context. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of attachment in a family unit composed of one mother and four children, who were living in a Safe House for victims fleeing from domestic violence. Attachment was evaluated in the mother through administration of the Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1985) and in the children through administration of the Separation Anxiety Test (Attili, 2001). Results highlighted an insecure attachment in the mother and in the youngest chil…

2016

The perception of infant emotions is an integral part of sensitive caregiving within the mother-child relationship, a maternal ability which develops in mothers during their own attachment history. In this study we address the association between maternal attachment representation and brain activity underlying the perception of infant emotions. Event related potentials (ERPs) of 32 primiparous mothers were assessed during a three stimulus oddball task presenting negative, positive and neutral emotion expressions of infants as target, deviant or standard stimuli. Attachment representation was assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview during pregnancy. Securely attached mothers recognized …

2021

Objectives: The present naturalistic study aims to investigate the differential effects of the patient’s and the therapist’s attachment representations on the attachment to the therapist as perceived by the patient, and their impact on self-esteem-change through psychotherapy.Methods: Attachment variables of N = 573 patients as well as N = 16 therapists were assessed. Attachment representations were measured for therapists and patients via the Bielefelder Questionnaire for Client Attachment Exploration, the Relationship Specific Attachment to Therapist Scales and the Adult Attachment Interview. The patient’s attachment to therapists was evaluated and patients’ self-esteem was measured via t…

Supporting parenting of infants: evaluating outcomes for parents and children in a community-based program.

2012

This research presents an evaluation of the intervention dose-effect of the Parent-Child Psychological Support Program (PCPS). The PCPS is a universal community-based program to support parenting, during the first 18 months, and to promote protective adaptive systems in children through a schedule of quarterly office-based appointments, starting at 3 months of age. Generally children attend for six visits. When the Program opens in a particular area, parents of all children under 18 months are invited. The different ages of the children who are joining present a unique opportunity to obtain groups to evaluate the program dose-effect using a cohort-sequential design. This dose-effect on pare…