title: Adult Attachment, Social Adjustment, and Well-Being in Drug-Addicted Inpatients.
abstract: In recent years, attachment studies have gathered overwhelming evidence for a relation between insecure attachment and drug addiction. The existing literature predominantly addresses attachment styles and little attention is given to attachment-pattern-oriented studies. The current study explored how attachment, social adjustment, and well-being interact in 40 (28 men, 12 women; ages 20-52 years, M = 32.3, SD = 9.4) inpatients with drug addiction. The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP), the Social Adjustment Scale-Self-report (SAS-SR), and the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) were administered. Descriptive statistics were computed as well as differences between patterns of attachment in all variables were measured. None of the inpatients showed a secure attachment pattern: 7 scored as dismissing (18%), 5 preoccupied (12%) and 28 unresolved (70%). AAP stories were mainly connected with themes of danger, lack of protection, and helplessness. Inpatients classified as unresolved reported significantly higher maladjustment on the SAS-SR and GHQ-28 than those with resolved attachment patterns. Implications for clinicians and researchers are presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy elisa_delvecchio@libero.it.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Delvecchio
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Di Riso
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lis
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salcuni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012917:Social Adjustment; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: drug addiction; social impairment; unresolved attachment