Attachment in patients with mental health disorders: Associations with patient and partner’s adjustment.

Abstract

Within the context of mental health disorders, the research examining the association between attachment and couples' adjustment in general has been disappointingly lean. This includes consideration of the attachment representations of both members, as well as the dyadic attachment styles. This study analyzed the association between attachment and patient and partner's individual and dyadic adjustment, as well as the associations between dyad attachment styles and patient and partner's adjustment. The sample consisted of 54 couples, in which one member had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder (clinical groups), and 54 couples from the general population (control group). Participants completed the following self-report measures: Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI); the quality of life (QoL) questionnaire EUROHIS-QOL-8; the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), and the Experiences in Close Relationship-Short Form (ECR-SF). The results depict that couples from the clinical groups presented lower levels of QoL and dyadic adjustment and higher levels of depressive and anxious symptoms as compared to couples from the general population. Couples from the clinical groups also showed higher scores on attachment anxiety and avoidance. Women who possessed a clinical diagnosis, in particular reported higher scores in attachment anxiety whereas men with a clinical diagnosis were found to engage in attachment avoidance. Regarding both dyadic attachment styles, dyads in which the two partners were insecurely attached had significantly poorer individual and dyadic adjustment compared to dyads in which both partners were secure. The clinical implications of the results are considered, as well as some key directives for future research.

Child Maltreatment and Psychiatric Disorders Increase Risk for Stalking Victimization

“…These new results provide some support for an attachment theory perspective that implicates relationship difficulties with psychiatric disorders that may lead to increased stalking risk (Alves et al, 2015;Godbout et al, 2019). These findings are also consistent with lifestyle and routine activities theory (Pratt & Turanovic, 2016) and suggest that individuals with borderline and antisocial personality disorders may be more likely to place themselves in dangerous situations, providing more opportunities for stalking.…”

It's Not Me, It's You: Self- and Partner-Schemas, Depressive Symptoms, and Relationship Quality

“…Lower scores on this measure reflect higher couple distress. Research supports the psychometric properties of this measure (e.g., Alves et al, 2015;Crane, Middleton, & Bean, 2000 (Rusbult, Martz, & Agnew, 1998) is a widely used instrument that includes subscales measuring relationship satisfaction and commitment. Participants are asked to indicate their level of agreement with each statement on an 8-point scale with endpoints labeled 1 (don't agree at all) and 8 (completely agree).…”

Depressive Symptoms as a Predictor of Men’s Relationship Satisfaction

“…Unfortunately, couples who synchronize negative moods tend to be less satisfied in their relationship (Ben-Naim, Hirschberger, Ein-Dor, & Mikulincer, 2013). Partner depressive symptoms can lead to reduced relationship satisfaction, low quality of life, and even promote sexual dysfunction across partners (Alves et al, 2015; Kopeykina et al, 2016). The presence of depressive symptoms in one partner can leave the unafflicted partner feeling confused by the relationship and exhausted from worry.…”