title: The contribution of adult attachment and perceived social support to depressive symptoms in patients with HIV.
abstract: The present study investigated the relationship between adult attachment style and depressive symptomatology in patients with HIV. Moreover, perceived social support was investigated as a potential mediator between adult attachment and depressive symptoms. A sample of 233 HIV-infected patients (90% male) completed questionnaires assessing adult attachment style (Relationship Questionnaire), depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory), and perceived social support (Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey). After controlling for demographic and medical variables, an insecure adult attachment style was found to be strongly related with depressive symptoms. Half of the insecurely attached patients reported clinically elevated levels of distress, while one in nine securely attached patients reported elevated levels of distress (χ(2)=32.25, p=0.001). Moreover, the association between attachment style and depressive symptomatology was found to be partly mediated through perceived social support. This study strongly supports the notion that an insecure attachment style is a vulnerability factor for developing depressive symptoms that would warrant clinical attention when confronted with a chronic illness such as HIV. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Slotervaart Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. chris.hinnen@slz.nl
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hinnen
authors.forename: Imke
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schreuder
authors.forename: Eefje
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jong
authors.forename: Miranda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Duijn
authors.forename: Rutger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dahmen
authors.forename: Eric C M
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: van Gorp
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D009769:Object Attachment; D010465:Perception; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult