Adult attachment insecurities are associated with obsessive compulsive disorder

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Adult attachment insecurities are associated with obsessive compulsive disorder

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/224465

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Title: Adult attachment insecurities are associated with obsessive compulsive disorder
Author(s): Doron, Guy; Moulding, Richard; Nedeljkovic, Maja; Kyrios, Michael; Mikulincer, Mario; Sar-El, Dar
Abstract: Objectives: Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most disabling and highly prevalent anxiety disorders (ADs). Current cognitive models of OCD implicate views about the self and world in the maintenance of the disorder. However, little research has focused on issues that may lead to vulnerability to such views. In particular, a person's attachment insecurities (attachment anxiety, avoidance) may be important risk factors increasing the likelihood of such non-adaptive perceptions (Doron & Kyrios, 2005). Design: Participants meeting criteria for OCD were compared with cohorts meeting criteria for other ADs and healthy controls on a range of measures including adult attachment, OC symptoms, cognitions, and mood. Methods: Diagnosis of the clinical groups was established using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV (Brown, Di Nardo, & Barlow, 1994). The clinical relevance of attachment insecurities was ascertained by comparing their prevalence in an OCD sample (N= 30), an ADs sample (N= 20), and a community sample (N= 32). Results: Attachment anxiety was significantly higher in individuals with OCD, even when controlling for depression. Conclusions: Addressing attachment anxiety in individuals presenting with OCD may be important for enhancing therapeutic outcomes. However, findings are based on cross-sectional data that preclude conclusions relating to causal influence.
Publication type: Journal article
Research centre: Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Life and Social Sciences
Source: Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, Vol. 85, no. 2 (Jun 2012), pp. 163-178
Publication year: 2012
FOR Code(s): 1701 Psychology; 1702 Cognitive Sciences
Keyword(s): Anxiety; Attachment; Attachment anxiety; Obsessive compulsive disorder; OCD
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISSN: 2044-8341
Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8341.2011.02028.x
Additional information: This research was supported by a Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant within the 7th European Community Framework Programme.
Peer reviewed