The Relationship Between Self-Reported Attachment Styles, Interpersonal Dysfunction, and Borderline Personality Disorder

Abstract

Clinical theories of borderline personality disorder (BPD) identify attachment insecurity as the basis of its characteristic disturbed interpersonal functioning. The purpose of this study was to compare attachment ratings in rigorously diagnosed BPD, depressed (MDD), and nonborderline comparison groups and their correlations to features of interpersonal disturbance. Subjects self-reported ratings on attachment styles using the relationship questionnaire. BPD subjects reported higher scores on both preoccupied and fearful attachment styles than both MDD and nonborderline comparison groups. A mixed model of preoccupied and fearful attachment was more prevalent in the BPD group and was associated with 3 to 20 times greater risk for diagnosis of BPD. Scores on preoccupied and fearful attachment styles were correlated with features of interpersonal disturbance in BPD. A combination of preoccupied and fearful self-reported attachment styles is more specific to BPD than either style alone or attachment insecurity in general.

Attachment and Reflective Functioning in Women With Borderline Personality Disorder

“…Indeed, as reported by previous studies based on the RQ (Brennan & Shaver, 1998;Choi-Kain, Fitzmaurice, Zanarini, Laverdiere, & Gunderson, 2009;Dutton, Saunders, & Starzomski, 1994;Hoermann, Clarkin, Hull, & Fertuck, 2004), our data supports 14 the fact that a fearful attachment pattern is also relevant to BPD. Preoccupied and fearful patterns both imply negative working models of self, namely a representation of oneself as being unworthy and unacceptable that goes along with excessive anxiety and dependency in close relationships.…”

Razvojno-psihopatološka perspektiva na komorbidni granični poremećaj osobnosti i poremećaje povezane s uporabom sredstava ovisnosti

“…the fact that the same risk and protective factors could result in multiple outcomes (Hosman, 2011), in this paper a special emphasis was put on the role of the attachment between caregiver and a child. This is supported by different studies that have shown that borderline personality disorder and substance use disorders can be seen as attachment problems (Kassel, Wardle & Roberts, 2007;Choi-Kain et al, 2009;Thornberg & Lyvers, 2010). Furthermore, depending on the context, attachment could enhance the risks, as well as strengthen protection, and therefore is understood as an important concept that should be taken into account in prevention interventions.…”

“…Finally, inconsistent support from caretakers during childhood is most often associated with preoccupied attachment which is thought to produce persistent anxiety towards interpersonal relationships and exaggerated levels of negative affect (Caspers et al, 2006). Insecure attachment is hypothesized to predict maladaptive emotional regulation and clinical theories of borderline personality disorder identify attachment insecurity as the basis of its characteristic disturbed interpersonal functioning (Choi-Kain et al, 2009).…”

The Model of Sequential Brief-Adlerian Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (SB-APP): Specific Features in the Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder

“…Thus, disorganization of the attachment system during infancy (Fonagy, Luyten, Batenian, Gergely, Strathearn, Target, & Allison, 2010) predisposes to separateness intolerance, as a core item of BPD pathology (Choi-Kain, Fitzmaurice, Zanarini, Laverdière, & Gunderson, 2009;Steele & Siever, 2010). b) Individual vulnerability and adverse life events may interact to lead to the disorder (Leichsenring et al, 2011), but the role of trauma in the BPD development remains unclear.…”

“…Some evidence suggests that long-term treatments could be useful in avoiding premature ruptures in the therapeutic alliance with patients with attachment disturbances (Choi-Kain et al, 2009), early defective and conflicting experiences. Nevertheless these approaches are often unavailable due to insufficient resources and do not resemble treatment as usual (TAU), which is characterized in general by pharmacotherapy, rehabilitative interventions and unstructured psychological supports, although no research has examined it in detail (Paris, 2010).…”