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Related Experiment Videos

Attachment style in patients with unexplained physical complaints.

R E Taylor1, A H Mann, N J White

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park Institute of Psychiatry, London.

Psychological Medicine
|October 19, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Patients with unexplained physical symptoms often have higher psychiatric distress and abnormal attachment styles compared to those with explained physical issues. Psychological presentations indicate more distress and attachment issues than physical ones.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry and Psychology
  • General Practice / Family Medicine
  • Attachment Theory

Background:

  • Patients with physical symptoms lacking organic explanation are common and challenging in primary care.
  • Help-seeking behavior, including symptom presentation, can be understood through the lens of adult attachment styles.
  • Attachment styles influence interpersonal relationships and may impact how patients interact with healthcare providers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between adult attachment styles and the type of patient presentation in primary care.
  • To determine if attachment style, psychiatric distress, and symptom attribution predict presentation type (explained physical, unexplained physical, psychological).

Main Methods:

  • A study of 2,042 primary care attenders using questionnaires on consultation reason, symptom attribution, psychiatric distress (GHQ), somatic distress (BSI), and adult attachment style (ASQ).

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  • Physicians categorized patient presentations as explained physical, unexplained physical, or psychological.
  • Logistic regression models were employed to identify significant explanatory variables for presentation type.

    • Main Results:

    • A significant association exists between adult attachment style and the type of patient presentation.
    • Both abnormal attachment and psychiatric distress levels increased progressively from explained physical to unexplained physical, and then to psychological presentations.
    • Psychiatric distress, attachment style, and symptom attribution were significant independent predictors of presentation type.

    Conclusions:

    • Unexplained physical symptom presentation is linked to higher psychiatric symptoms and abnormal attachment styles compared to explained physical symptoms.
    • Patients presenting with overt psychological symptoms exhibit greater psychiatric distress and more abnormal attachment than those with physical symptoms.
    • These findings highlight the interplay between psychological factors, attachment patterns, and symptom presentation in primary care settings.