Depressive affect among health care seekers: How it is related to attachment style, emotional disclosure, and health complaints

Abstract

The present cross-sectional questionnaire survey investigated depressive affect among persons visiting their general practitioner (GP). It examined the impact of a number of factors likely to be associated with depressive affect, including demographic variables, severity of medical condition, and personal factors such as ease in disclosing personal information, and attachment style. Results showed that among the sample of patients (N = 198) visiting their GP, depressive affect was generally quite high. In particular, those reporting more depressive affect were the elderly, those with more severe health problems, more psychological problems, and a lower level of emotional disclosure frequency. As expected, attachment style was also related to lack of well-being among patients: those with a less avoidant but more anxious attachment style reported higher levels of depressive affect. In total, 38% of the variance of depressive affect was predicted by this model. Security of attachment was also related to reasons why patients consulted their GP, with avoidant attachment related to physical problems and anxious attachment to mental problems. Theoretical relevance of the findings and implications for medical help-seeking are discussed.

Adult attachment and mental health: The role of emotion regulation

“…To explain this, they assume individuals who are high in avoidant attachment tend to suppress their emotions and do not seek social support when they are distressed (Mikulincer et al, 2003). Also, the findings of Zech et al (2006) showed that avoidant attachment was not associated with emotion disclosure and depressive affect. However, the authors explained that while there is a growing independency in avoidant individuals, they would not accept negative feelings.…”

“…In another study concerning emotional disclosure and mental disease, Zech et al (2006) investigated depressive affect in 198 patients visiting a general practitioner (GP) to find whether it is related to attachment, emotional disclosure and health complaints. Individuals with anxious attachment showed more depressive affect (b= .30, p < .001) and they disclose their emotion (r= .31).…”

The relationship between adult attachment and mental health: A meta-analysis.

“…Thus, we examined whether relationship status moderated the correlation between adult attachment and mental health. That said, cohabitation with an unmarried romantic partner and marriage may have similar psychological effects, and many studies tend to report the proportion of married or cohabiting participants in total (Dagnino et al, 2017; Espeleta et al, 2017; Falgares et al, 2019; Kohlhoff & Barnett, 2013; Marques et al, 2018; Nielsen et al, 2017; O’Neill & Murray, 2016; Reizer, 2015; Segel-Karpas et al, 2013; Zech et al, 2006). Thus, we operationalized relationship status as cohabiting and/or married versus not.…”

Insecure attachment moderates women's adjustment to inflammatory bowel disease severity.

“…Anxious attachment , which is associated with exaggeration of distress and constant help seeking (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007), was positively related to symptom reporting in both undergraduates (Feeney & Ryan, 1994) and women in a health maintenance organization (Ciechanowski et al, 2002). Patients in the Netherlands visiting their general practitioner for psychological problems had higher scores in anxious attachment, whereas those visiting for physical health problems had higher avoidant attachment (Zech, de Ree, Berenschot, & Stroebe, 2006).…”