Association between attachment prototypes and schizotypy dimensions in two independent non-clinical samples of Spanish and American young adults

Abstract

Attachment theory offers a powerful theoretical framework for elucidating the developmental pathway through which childhood interpersonal trauma confers vulnerability to psychosis. In the present study, the association between attachment and schizotypy was explored in two independent non-clinical samples of Spanish (n=547) and American (n=1425) young adults. Participants completed the Relationship Questionnaire and the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales. Following attachment theory and cognitive accounts of psychosis, it was hypothesized that preoccupied attachment would be associated with positive schizotypy, dismissing attachment with negative schizotypy, and fearful attachment with both schizotypy dimensions. Results confirmed these predictions, thus supporting the theoretical frameworks invoked. Also, the associations found in these non-clinical samples are consistent with those in clinical psychosis, supporting the continuum model of schizotypy and schizophrenia. Finally, there was cross-cultural consistency of these associations. Overall, the findings support the application of attachment theory for furthering our understanding of whether different insecure styles, characterized by different self and other representations and affect regulation strategies, play a role in the pathways to positive and negative symptoms.

Attachment, Neurobiology, and Mentalizing along the Psychosis Continuum

“…Positive schizotypy has been associated with both attachment avoidance (Berry et al, 2007a; MacBeth et al, 2008) and attachment anxiety (Berry et al, 2007a), while negative schizotypal symptoms have been specifically linked to attachment avoidance (Berry et al, 2006, 2007a; Tiliopoulos and Goodall, 2009). In a large community study, preoccupied attachment was associated to positive schizotypy, dismissing attachment was related to negative schizotypy and fearful attachment was related to both positive and negative schizotypy (Sheinbaum et al, 2013). Given that preoccupied attachment is characterized by hyper-activation of the attachment system (Shaver and Mikulincer, 2002), these findings support the possibility that disruptions in the regulation of negative emotion, and increased salience of threat-related cues and distress may contribute to the expression and maintenance of positive schizotypy.…”

“…On the other hand, dismissing attachment, characterized by a deactivation of the attachment system (i.e., interpersonal distancing, etc. ), is significantly associated with negative schizotypy (Sheinbaum et al, 2013), which may contribute to persistent social withdrawal and isolation. In a recent study with a large sample of undergraduate students, fearful attachment was found to mediate the relationship between physical/emotional trauma and both positive and negative schizotypy (Sheinbaum et al, 2014).…”

Impact of attachment style on the 1-year outcome of persons with an at-risk mental state for psychosis

“…In particular, avoidant attachment has been associated with positive and negative symptoms in persons with schizophrenia (Ponizovsky et al, 2007), as well as paranoia in both psychotic patients and individuals with early psychosis (Berry et al, 2008a;Korver-Nieberg et al, 2013). In addition, the preoccupied and fearful attachment styles have been associated with higher levels of positive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia (Ponizovsky et al, 2013) and with positive schizotypy in nonclinical samples (Sheinbaum et al, 2013a).…”

“…These patterns could mediate the use of dysfunctional cognitive mechanisms and affective dysregulation, which, probably in interaction, might lead to reality distortion (Read et al, 2009). Also, the characteristics associated with the chronic deactivation of the attachment system, such as interpersonal disengagement and minimization of emotional expression (Mikulincer and Shaver, 2007), might contribute to the ontogeny of negative symptoms (Sheinbaum et al, 2013a).…”

A novel construct of anhedonia revealed in a Chinese sample via the Revised Physical and Social Anhedonia Scales

“…The Chapman psychosis-proneness scales, which were developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s [24], are a series of scales that were designed to assess schizotypy tendencies in psychiatrically normal people [19,[25][26][27]. Four of the scales in this series, namely the Perceptual Aberration Scale, Magical Ideation Scale, Physical Anhedonia Scale, and Social Anhedonia Scale, form a schizotypy assessment battery known as the Wisconsin schizotypy scales (WSS).…”