We examined whether insecure attachment styles mediate the association between childhood trauma and nonclinical psychotic phenomena in 546 young adults. Fearful attachment mediated the associations of physical/emotional trauma with schizotypy, suspiciousness, and psychotic-like experiences. Results support theoretical accounts implicating attachment disruptions in the pathway from childhood adv...

Previous research has demonstrated a positive association between child maltreatment and adult interpersonal trauma (Arata, 2000; Crawford & Wright, 2007). From a betrayal trauma theory perspective, evidence suggests that the experience of trauma high in betrayal (e.g., child maltreatment by parents or guardians) increases ones risk of betrayal trauma as an adult (Gobin & Freyd, 2009). However,...

BACKGROUND Evidence points toward shared characteristics between female survivors of sexual abuse and women with dyspareunia. This study explored, for the first time, similarities and differences between women who were exposed to sexual abuse to those with dyspareunia, in order to examine whether insecure attachment styles and high somatization level are associated with trauma among women with ...

As a major life crisis, infertility is a very stressful and distressing experience leading to psychological maladjustments and disorders. To examine the contribution of attachment style to the adjustment to infertility, 46 married couples (N=92) undergoing infertility evaluation and treatment were included in this study. All 92 subjects completed the Aduit Attachment Inventory, the Mental Healt...

Chronic attachment insecurity can affect the outlook people have on relationships. This research examines how attachment insecurity relates to perceived importance of various features in a romantic relationship (e.g., intimacy, independence). Consistent with predictions, the results from Studies 1–3 (N1 1⁄4 53, N2 1⁄4 226, N3 1⁄4 196) revealed that greater attachment anxiety was associated with...

Attachment research so far rarely has focused on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study is the first to examine the distribution of the attachment representation in mothers of children with ADHD. Considering results of clinical attachment studies we formulated the following hypothesis: the prevalence of maternal insecure and unresolved attachment representations increases w...

The main purpose of the study was to examine the moderating role of the insecure mother–child attachment in the relations between social withdraw and peer difficulties. Participants were 487 urban children (247 boys, 240 girls) in elementary schools in Shanghai, the People’s Republic of China. Data on attachment-relevant coping styles in insecure relationships with mother were collected from ch...

Growing evidence shows that attachment is a key risk factor for the diagnosis and treatment of clinical diseases in Axis I, such as drug addiction. Recent literature regarding attachment, psychiatric pathology, and drug addiction demonstrates that there is a clear prevalence of insecure attachment patterns in clinical and drug addicted subjects. Specifically, some authors emphasize that the anx...

It has been proposed that insecure attachment can have adverse effects on the course of psychosis once symptoms have emerged. There is longitudinal evidence that increased insecure attachment is associated with increased severity of psychotic symptoms. The present study examined whether in the flow of daily life attachment insecurity fluctuates, whether elevated stress precedes the occurrence o...