title: Attachment style, anxiety coping, and personality-styles in withdrawn alcohol addicted inpatients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Insecure early attachment experiences have been reported to play an important role in the manifestation in alcoholism. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of attachment styles with anxiety, anxiety coping and dysfunctional personality styles, as well as with the prevalence of personality disorders, and adverse life-events in adolescence.
  
  
  METHODS
  59 inpatient alcohol addicted male (n=43) and female (n=16) patients were characterized by an attachment style scale (Relationships-style-questionnaire-RSQ) and completed a questionnaire battery comprising the State-Trait-Anxiety-Inventory (STAI), the Anxiety-Coping-Inventory (ABI), Temperament-and-character-inventory (TCI), Personality-system-interaction-inventory (PSI), and gave information on sociodemography, alcohol history, and adolescent adverse events. A structured interview (SKID-II) was performed to diagnose personality disorders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 33% of subjects had a secure attachment style. Insecure attachment was associated with significantly higher trait-anxiety, higher cognitive avoidance to control anxiety, and higher values on most personality style dimensions directed to the pathological pole.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the limitation due to a small sample size, the results of this study show that the consideration of attachment styles is of significance in the diagnosis and therapy of alcohol addiction. Attachment may characterize different styles to control emotional aspects, anxiety cues and interpersonal relationships in individuals suffering from alcohol addiction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen, von Siebold Strasse 5, 37075 Goettingen, Germany. dirk.wedekind@med.uni-goettingen.de
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wedekind
authors.forename: Borwin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bandelow
authors.forename: Soren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heitmann
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Havemann-Reinecke
authors.forename: Kirsten R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huether
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D010551:Personality; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires