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Relationship between attachment patterns and personality pathology in adolescents
Ora Nakash-Eisikovits1, Lissa Dutra, Drew Westen
1Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders and Department of Psychology, Boston University, MA 02215, USA. oeisiko@bu.edu
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|September 10, 2002
Summary
Adolescent attachment styles significantly impact personality pathology. Disorganized or unresolved attachment strongly correlates with severe psychopathology, while secure attachment is linked to healthy functioning.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Attachment theory is crucial for understanding adolescent development.
- Personality pathology in adolescents presents significant clinical challenges.
- Previous research suggests a link between attachment and psychopathology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between adolescent attachment status and personality pathology.
- To examine how different attachment styles relate to various forms of personality pathology in a clinical sample.
Main Methods:
- A large clinical sample of 294 adolescents (aged 14-18) undergoing treatment for personality patterns.
- Clinician-report measures assessing attachment, personality pathology, and child behavior were utilized.
Main Results:
- Secure attachment was negatively correlated with personality pathology and positively with healthy functioning.
- Disorganized/unresolved attachment showed a strong association with multiple forms of personality pathology.
- Anxious/ambivalent attachment related to withdrawal and internalization; avoidant attachment showed no specific pathology link.
Conclusions:
- Unresolved attachment is markedly associated with severe adolescent psychopathology.
- The construct validity of avoidant personality disorder in adolescents requires further examination.
- Attachment status is broadly related to personality and psychopathology in adolescents.