Autonomic correlates of attachment insecurity in a sample of women with eating disorders

This study examined associations between attachment insecurity and autonomic response during the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) in a sample of 47 women with eating disorders using a new system for the synchronous acquisition of behavioral and physiological data: the Bio Dual-channel and Representa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Attachment & human development 2011-03, Vol.13 (2), p.155-167
Main Authors: Dias, Pedro, Soares, Isabel, Klein, John, Cunha, João P.S., Roisman, Glenn I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Adult Attachment Interview
autonomic correlates of attachment
Autonomic Nervous System - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Dreams - psychology
Eating behavior disorders
eating disorders
Feeding and Eating Disorders - epidemiology
Feeding and Eating Disorders - psychology
Female
Humans
Medical sciences
Miscellaneous
Object Attachment
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychometrics
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
psychophysiology
Risk Factors
Skin Physiological Phenomena
Statistics as Topic
Young Adult
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Summary:This study examined associations between attachment insecurity and autonomic response during the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) in a sample of 47 women with eating disorders using a new system for the synchronous acquisition of behavioral and physiological data: the Bio Dual-channel and Representation of Attachment Multimedia System (BioDReAMS; Soares, Cunha, Zhan Jian Li, Pinho, & Neves, 1998 ). Consistent with the emerging literature on the psychophysiology of adult attachment, insecurity was positively correlated with electrodermal reactivity during the AAI. Furthermore, relatively secure patients showed some evidence of parasympathetic withdrawal, which can be conceptualized as evidence of more effective emotion regulation. Results suggest that, even among women with diagnosed psychopathology, security is associated with moreproductive patterns of psychophysiological response to attachment-related challenges.
ISSN:1461-6734
1469-2988
DOI:10.1080/14616734.2011.554005