Implications of attachment style for patterns of health and illness

Abstract

There is substantial evidence that health status and health outcomes are related to the availability and quality of personal relationships. The proposition that attachment relationships in childhood and adolescence have health-related implications fits within this research tradition, and has guided recent attempts to develop models linking attachment style with emotional regulation, coping mechanisms, and illness behaviours. The present paper discusses these theoretical models, together with relevant empirical findings. It is argued that measures of attachment security are related to symptom-reporting, health-care utilization, and restriction of normal activities, and that these links can be explained, in part, by individual differences in emotional and behavioural responses to stress. It is further noted that researchers have proposed physiological and biochemical pathways which may explain some of the effects of attachment style on physical health. The quality of parent-child attachment also predicts family responses to children's illness, as reflected in parents' visitation rates and in family participation in studies of health and illness. The implications of the findings for research and for practice in the health professions are briefly discussed.

The Experience of Postpartum Depression among Mothers with Withdrawn Attachment Style during Pregnancy and the First Postnatal Month

“…However, withdrawn mothers soon realize that they need a tremendous amount of help and lose control over their daily activities as a result of childcare, which could lead to depression. Previous research on the withdrawn style has shown that necessary support is delayed as a result of reluctance to seek help (Feeney, 2000). In studies of individualistic Western countries, the association between avoidant attachment (including the withdrawn style discussed in this paper) and relationship problems was stronger than in more collectivist societies such as Hong Kong and Mexico (Friedman et al, 2010).…”

Anger-In

“…While some studies find that having a chronic illness itself does not increase one's odds of developing an insecure attachment, other researchers find a greater frequency of insecure attachment classifications, particularly anxious attachment, among pediatric populations (i.e., among premature infants, infants with congenital heart disease, and in pediatric patients with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, cleft lip, and cystic fibrosis; Feeney, 2000;Minde, 1999). Although the influence of child and disease-specific factors is likely to exert some influence on attachment, poor maternal and family relationship quality are thought to provide a more robust influence on children's attachment organizations.…”

Attaching a New Understanding to the Patient-Physician Relationship in Family Practice

“…[12][13][14] Ill health is likely to activate the attachment system because of distress and perceived vulnerability. Children and adults differ markedly in their responses to unusual or distressing physical symptoms, 15 and responses to medical illness can be anticipated based on attached patterns. Recent research indicates that outcomes to medical illness in adults differ according to specific attachment patterns.…”

“…Recent research indicates that outcomes to medical illness in adults differ according to specific attachment patterns. [15][16][17][18][19][20] To understand how variations in attachment style play a role in medical illness, it is important to understand the different attachment styles.…”