Attachment styles and dysfunctional assumptions in adults

The association between adult attachment styles and dysfunctional assumptio ns has been investigated in two independent samples (n = 110, and n = 125 r espectively) of healthy subjects. The second study being aimed at a replica tion of the first one. Two measures of adult attachment: Adult Attachment S cale (AAS) and the Attachment Styles Questionnaire (ASQ) were used for asse ssing attachment styles. The Dysfunctional Attitude Scale-A (DAS-A), and th e Dysfunctional Working Models Scale (DWM-S) were administered to assess dy sfunctional assumptions. Two predictions were made: (a) a negative relation ship was expected to occur between measures of secure attachment and dysfun ctional assumptions scores, and (b) a positive association was predicted be tween measures of insecure attachment and dysfunctional assumptions scores. Both predictions were supported by statistically significant correlations with coefficients ranging from -0.25 to 0.66. The results are discussed in relation to the integrating model of individual vulnerability suggested by Perris. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.