title: Associations between adult attachment characteristics, medical burden, and life satisfaction among older primary care patients.
abstract: We investigated whether attachment security, measured by the Adult Attachment Prototype Rating (AAPR), was correlated with life satisfaction, independent of sociodemographic characteristics, medical burden, and age-related coping strategies in a sample of 81 patients (69-73 years) recruited from the register of a general primary care practice. Furthermore, we examined whether patients classified as AAPR-secure reported better adjustment to medical burden in terms of higher life satisfaction than did insecure patients. Attachment security was independently related to life satisfaction. Moreover, the association between medical burden and lower life satisfaction was significantly stronger for insecure than for secure participants. Our findings indicate that interventions to improve attachment security or coping processes related to attachment could help older adults retain life satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena.
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kirchmann
authors.affiliation: The Anna Freud Centre.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nolte
authors.affiliation: Weimar-Schöndorf.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Runkewitz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bayerle
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena.
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Blasczyk
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lindloh
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychosocial Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Strauss
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors