title: Attachment style and readiness for psychotherapy among psychiatric outpatients.
abstract: Ninety-two adults attending outpatient mental health services completed measures of attachment style and readiness to engage in psychotherapy. Correlation and linear regression analyses found anxious attachment to be positively associated with treatment-seeking distress and found avoidant attachment to be negatively associated with openness to personal disclosure in the therapy relationship.
  
  
  
  Insecure attachment may influence prospective patients' readiness for psychotherapy. Patients with an avoidant attachment style may need assistance in preparing for the relational aspects of psychotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kealy
authors.affiliation: Surrey Mental Health & Substance Use Services, Fraser Health Authority, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ogrodniczuk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D011613:Psychotherapy
keywords: attachment; psychotherapy; readiness for psychotherapy