Attachment in anorexia nervosa: an exploration of associations with eating disorder psychopathology and psychiatric symptoms. 2006

H D Zachrisson, and G R Kulbotten
Eating Disorder Center, University Hospital of Aarhus, Psychiatric Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Risskov, Denmark. heza@fhi.no

Previous research on attachment and eating disorder has to a great extent presupposed direct links between states of mind with respect to attachment and eating disorder diagnoses. The authors provide a brief review stating that no such association can be found in current literature. The authors suggest that the association might exist on the level of eating disorder pathology and psychiatric symptoms, rather than diagnostic level. Based on 20 Adult Attachment Interviews coded with the Dynamic-Maturational method from patients diagnosed with anorexia, the authors explore the associations between attachment and diagnostic subgroups, eating disorder psychopathology (Eating Disorder Inventory--2nd edition), and psychiatric symptoms. All patients were coded within the range of insecure attachment. State of mind with respect to attachment did not differentiate between diagnostic subgroup and eating disorder pathology. Individuals classified as dismissing reported higher levels of anxiety-related distress than those classified as preoccupied or mixed dismissing/preoccupied. A high frequency of unresolved traumas and losses was found. The findings support previous reports of high frequencies of insecure attachment and unresolved traumas in anorexic patients. The high level of anxiety-related stress in the dismissing group lead the author to suggest that attachment plays a role in the patient's handling of distress following the eating disorder, rather than in the disorder itself.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009769 Object Attachment Emotional attachment to someone or something in the environment. Bonding (Psychology),Bonds, Emotional,Emotional Bonds,Object Relations,Symbiotic Relations (Psychology),Bonding, Psychological,Object Relationship,Psychological Bonding,Attachment, Object,Attachments, Object,Bond, Emotional,Bondings (Psychology),Emotional Bond,Object Attachments,Object Relation,Object Relationships,Relation, Object,Relation, Symbiotic (Psychology),Relations, Object,Relations, Symbiotic (Psychology),Relationship, Object,Relationships, Object,Symbiotic Relation (Psychology)
D011599 Psychopathology The study of significant causes and processes in the development of mental illness.
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D000856 Anorexia Nervosa An eating disorder that is characterized by the lack or loss of APPETITE, known as ANOREXIA. Other features include excess fear of becoming OVERWEIGHT; BODY IMAGE disturbance; significant WEIGHT LOSS; refusal to maintain minimal normal weight; and AMENORRHEA. This disorder occurs most frequently in adolescent females. (APA, Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 1994) Anorexia Nervosas,Nervosa, Anorexia,Nervosas, Anorexia
D001007 Anxiety Feelings or emotions of dread, apprehension, and impending disaster but not disabling as with ANXIETY DISORDERS. Angst,Anxiousness,Hypervigilance,Nervousness,Social Anxiety,Anxieties, Social,Anxiety, Social,Social Anxieties
D013315 Stress, Psychological Stress wherein emotional factors predominate. Cumulative Stress, Psychological,Emotional Stress,Individual Stressors,Life Stress,Psychological Cumulative Stress,Psychological Stress Experience,Psychological Stress Overload,Psychologically Stressful Conditions,Stress Experience, Psychological,Stress Measurement, Psychological,Stress Overload, Psychological,Stress Processes, Psychological,Stress, Emotional,Stressful Conditions, Psychological,Psychological Stress,Stress, Psychologic,Stressor, Psychological,Condition, Psychological Stressful,Condition, Psychologically Stressful,Conditions, Psychologically Stressful,Cumulative Stresses, Psychological,Experience, Psychological Stress,Individual Stressor,Life Stresses,Measurement, Psychological Stress,Overload, Psychological Stress,Psychologic Stress,Psychological Cumulative Stresses,Psychological Stress Experiences,Psychological Stress Measurement,Psychological Stress Measurements,Psychological Stress Overloads,Psychological Stress Processe,Psychological Stress Processes,Psychological Stresses,Psychological Stressful Condition,Psychological Stressful Conditions,Psychological Stressor,Psychological Stressors,Psychologically Stressful Condition,Stress Experiences, Psychological,Stress Processe, Psychological,Stress, Life,Stress, Psychological Cumulative,Stressful Condition, Psychological,Stressful Condition, Psychologically,Stressor, Individual

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