Attachment representation and cortisol response to the adult attachment interview in idiopathic spasmodic torticollis

Objective: The study investigates individual differences in the mental repr esentation of attachment and their impact on the cortisol response to psych osocial stress in idiopathic spasmodic torticollis (IST). It was hypothesiz ed (a) that in IST insecure attachment is more prevalent than in a non-clin ical control group and (b) that subjects with dismissing attachment respond with higher physiological arousal to a specific stimulus activating the at tachment behavioural system than subjects with secure attachment. Method: 2 0 patients with IST and 20 healthy controls matched for age and sex underwe nt the Adult Attachment Interview, an hour-long, semiclinical interview on attachment experiences. During the interview salivary cortisol levels were monitored. The subjects' mental state with regard to attachment was classif ied using the attachment Q-sort method. Anxiety and depression were measure d as potentia I covariates of the adrenocortical stress response. Results: Compared to the non-clinical group, dismissing attachment was strongly over represented in IST, In IST, but not in the healthy control group, dismissin g attachment correlated with an elevated cortisol response to the interview . Conclusion: In clinical, but not in non-clinical samples dismissing attac hment may be associated with increased vulnerability to psychosocial stress . The factors contributing to this interaction are not yet fully elucidated . Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.