title: Adult attachment style as mediator between childhood neglect/abuse and adult depression and anxiety.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There has been little prospective investigation of the relationship between adult attachment style and clinical levels of anxiety and major depression. This paper seeks to address this, as well as examining the potentially mediating role of adult insecure attachment styles in the relationship between childhood adverse experience and adult disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  154 high-risk community women studied in 1990-1995, were followed-up in 1995-1999 to test the role of insecure attachment style in predicting new episodes of anxiety and/or major depressive disorder. The Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse (CECA) and the Attachment Style Interview (ASI) were administered at first interview and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) administered at first and follow-up interview. Major depression and clinical level anxiety disorders (GAD, Social Phobia or Panic and/or Agoraphobia) were assessed at first contact and for the intervening follow-up period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  55% (85/154) of the women had at least one case level disorder in the follow-up period. Only markedly or moderately (but not mildly) insecure attachment styles predicted both major depression and case anxiety in follow-up. Some specificity was determined with Fearful style significantly associated both with depression and Social Phobia, and Angry-Dismissive style only with GAD. Attachment style was unrelated to Panic Disorder and/or Agoraphobia. In addition, Fearful and Angry-Dismissive styles were shown to partially mediate the relationship between childhood adversity and depression or anxiety.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In order to correctly interpret lifespan models of adult psychiatric disorder, it is necessary to test for mediating factors. Attachment theory provides a framework for explaining how dysfunctional interpersonal style arising from early childhood perpetuates vulnerability to affective disorders. This has implications for intervention and treatment to break cycles of risk.
authors.affiliation: Lifespan Research Group, Royal Holloway, University of London, 11 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3RF, UK. A.Bifulco@rhul.ac.uk
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bifulco
authors.forename: Junghye
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Patricia M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Moran
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bunn
authors.forename: Nils
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Beer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002649:Child Abuse; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment