Attachment style, emotional control, and breast cancer.

Abstract

Research in emotional control and interpersonal relations and health suggest possible linkages between attachment theory and cancer. The suppression of negative emotions, characteristicof avoidant attachment, is considered to be the core of the Type C pattern. Women with breast cancer (n=52) and without cancer (n=52) were assessed regarding attachment style and emotional control. It was hypothesized that the cancer group would score significantly higher on avoidant attachment and emotional control than the comparison group. Results supported both hypotheses. These findings are to be interpreted with caution because they are preliminary. More research is needed to determine the role of attachment as apsychosocial factor in cancer.

Relationships with clinical staff after a diagnosis of breast cancer are associated with patients' experience of care and abuse in childhood

“…Previous applications of attachment theory in women with breast cancer have tried to identify attachment styles that characterize the group as a whole [54,55]. However, the present findings indicate the need to understand variations within this population.…”

Attachment and couple satisfaction as predictors of expressed emotion in women facing breast cancer and their partners in the immediate post‐surgery period

“…It is thus likely that anxious tendencies will be linked with a tendency to be critical towards the partner in the situation of breast cancer (Maunder, Lancee, Nolan, Hunter, & Tannenbaum, ; Mikulincer & Shaver, , ). To date, the few studies that have assessed the impact of attachment in breast cancer have shown that women with anxious or avoidant tendencies have lower psychological adaptation indexes to the stress of the disease (Favez et al ., ; Rodin et al ., ; Tacón, Caldera, & Bell, ).…”

Stress Exposure in Significant Relationships Is Associated with Lymph Node Status in Breast Cancer

“…Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies reported that individuals who described their parents as less close, loving and protective were at higher risk of developing cancer [16–18]. In accordance, women with breast cancer obtained significantly higher scores on avoidant attachment and emotional control compared to healthy women [19]. …”