title: Attachment style and patient disclosure in psychotherapy.
abstract: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between attachment style and patient disclosure in psychotherapy. A significant positive relationship was found between the security of adult psychotherapy patients' (N=117) attachment to their therapist and (a) their overall level of self-disclosure and (b) their level of positive feelings following disclosure. A significant negative relationship was also found between security of attachment and unpleasant feelings following disclosure. In addition, significant associations were found between the extent of patients' fearful attachment to their therapist and unpleasant feelings experienced both before and after disclosure. Findings suggest that understanding attachment patterns may be helpful in formulating clinical interventions, including those that affect a patient's tendency to withhold important material.
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Saypol
authors.forename: Barry A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Farber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult