This article explores the possibility that romantic love is an attachment process--a biosocial process by which affectional bonds are formed between adult lovers, just as affectional bonds are formed earlier in life between human infants and their parents. Key components of attachment theory, developed by Bowlby, Ainsworth, and others to explain the development of affectional bonds in infancy, ...

The present study investigated the relationship between adult attachment style and sexual behavior among HIV-positive patients. HIV-positive (HIV+) participants (A' = 48) completed questionnaires assessing number of sexual partners, adult attachment, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms. Results revealed that insecure attachment styles (particularly negative attachment representations of self a...

Attachment theory is frequently invoked to account for patterns of adaptation within relationships. West and Sheldon derived a measure of dysfunctional adult attachment from Bowlby's theory. Four patterns are identified: compulsive self-reliance; caregiving; care-seeking; and angry withdrawal. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of this promising measure, and to asse...

BACKGROUND Recent research has documented the association between attachment and cortisol rhythms. During pregnancy, when attachment patterns are likely to be activated, elevated levels of cortisol are associated with negative effects for the mother and the foetus. The aim of the present study was to examine the association of adult attachment style and cortisol rhythms in pregnant women. MET...

Abstract The aim of this study was to estimate the contribution adult attachment style and alexithymia cutaneous body image in patients with psoriasis while controlling for confounding effects disease severity depressive symptoms. Participants were 107 consecutive (60% women) a diagnosis plaque-type psoriasis. Cutaneous dissatisfaction measured Body Image Scale (CBIS) Psoriasis Area Severity In...

BACKGROUND The Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ) was developed to provide a brief self-report tool to assess adult attachment style in relation to depression and validated against an existing investigator-based interview (Attachment Style Interview--ASI). This paper describes the development and scoring of the VASQ and its relationship to poor support and major depression. METH...

The authors examined the relationship between separation-individuation, adult attachment styles, and college adjustment, One hundred fifty-six young adults completed the Psychological Separation Inventory (J. A. Hoffman, 1984; J. A. Hoffman & B. Weiss, 1987), 2 subscales from the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (R. W Baker & B. Siryk, 1989), a measure of pathology of separation-indi...

OBJECTIVES It has been argued that attachment theory could enhance our knowledge and understanding of psychotic phenomenology. DESIGN We systematically reviewed and critically appraised research investigating attachment and psychotic phenomenology in clinical and non-clinical samples. METHODS We searched databases Pub Med, PsycINFO, Medline and Web of Science using the keywords. Attachment,...