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Published on: March 8, 2018
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Romantic attachment style and borderline personality pathology: A meta-analysis
1Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 3rd Street, West Lafayette, IN, United States of America.
Clinical Psychology Review
|January 10, 2020
Summary
Attachment anxiety and avoidance are significantly linked to Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) traits. Attachment anxiety shows the strongest correlation, suggesting a key role in understanding BPD
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Attachment Theory
Background:
- Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by significant interpersonal relationship impairments, especially in romantic contexts.
- Insecure attachment styles share notable similarities with BPD traits, offering a framework for understanding relational deficits.
- Existing research indicates disrupted secure attachment in individuals with BPD traits, yet consensus on the specific nature of this disruption remains elusive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively synthesize the strength and direction of associations between attachment insecurity and Borderline Personality Disorder traits.
- To clarify the relationship between adult romantic attachment dimensions (anxiety and avoidance) and BPD.
- To provide a meta-analytic understanding of attachment insecurity as a correlate of BPD.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search conducted on PsycINFO and PubMed databases.
- Inclusion of studies measuring Borderline Personality Disorder traits and adult romantic attachment dimensions (anxiety and avoidance).
- Quantitative synthesis of 27 effect sizes using meta-analytic techniques, including regression analyses.
Main Results:
- Attachment anxiety demonstrated the strongest positive correlation with Borderline Personality Disorder traits (r = 0.48).
- Attachment avoidance also showed a significant positive association with BPD traits (r = 0.30).
- Regression analyses indicated an interaction between attachment anxiety and avoidance, highlighting a particularly strong link with attachment disorganization and BPD.
Conclusions:
- Attachment insecurity, particularly attachment anxiety, is robustly associated with Borderline Personality Disorder traits.
- The findings underscore the importance of considering both attachment anxiety and avoidance in the context of BPD.
- Attachment disorganization emerges as a critical factor in the relationship between attachment insecurity and BPD traits.
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