A Model for Brief Assessment of Attachment and Its Application to Women in Inpatient Treatment for Trauma-Related Psychiatric Disorders

• Published in: Journal of personality assessment 2001-06, Vol.76 (3), p.421-447
• Main Authors: Allen, Jon G., Huntoon, Janis, Fultz, Jim, Stein, Helen, Fonagy, Peter, Evans, Richard B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Attachment style; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Clinical assessment; Female; Humans; Inpatients - psychology; Interpersonal Relations; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Object Attachment; Psychiatric units; Psychological trauma; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Selfreport measures; Social Support; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Techniques and methods; Women
• ISSN: 0022-3891; 1532-7752
• DOI: 10.1207/S15327752JPA7603_05

We adapted self-report measures of attachment style to the psychological assessment of women in specialized inpatient treatment for trauma-related disorders. The study employed 2 measures of adult attachment style, the Relationship Questionnaire (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991) and the Adult Attachment Scale (Collins & Read, 1990) as well as our Current Attachment Relationships questionnaire, which assesses the extent of social support in secure attachments. We administered these measures to 99 patients and to a convenience sample of 154 women in the community. We found modest correspondence between the 2 attachment style measures and substantial relations between attachment styles and range of secure attachment relationships. Women in the trauma sample reported insecure attachment styles and relatively few secure attachment figures. We discuss the implications of these findings for clinical assessment.