title: Anxiety and hospitalization in adolescence: relations to attachment style and parental support.
abstract: This exploratory study examined attachment style and state/trait anxiety in adolescents - 30 recently hospitalized psychiatric patients, and 49 school controls. All were aged 13-18, with the majority (67%) female. The attachment style interview (ASI, Bifulco et al. 2002) was administered, together with the Recent Life Events questionnaire (Brugha & Cragg 1990) and the STAI anxiety questionnaire (Spielberger et al. 1983). Results showed the hospitalised group to have significantly more negative interactions with parents and poorer support than the comparison group. They had significantly more insecure attachment style (96% s 37%). Among the hospitalized adolescents, both the Anxious and the Avoidant attachment style group had higher anxiety scores on the STAI-trait scores than on the STAI-state scores assessed during the first days of hospitalisation. This suggests adolescents, even those with Avoidant attachment feel less anxious after admission. Implications for assessing attachment style in adolescent patients to aid with care planning is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Service de pédopsychiatrie, CHU Besancon, 2 place St Jacques, 25030 Besancon cedex, France, lvulliez@chu-besancon.fr.
authors.forename: Lauriane
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vulliez-Coady
authors.forename: Chrystelle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.forename: Aurore
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vivot
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Monnin
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nezelof
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bifulco
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012944:Social Support