La. Mcwilliams et al., Impact of adult attachment styles on pain and disability associated with arthritis in a nationally representative sample, CLIN J PAIN, 16(4), 2000, pp. 360-364
Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate Mikail et al.'s hypo
thesis that adult attachment styles are associated with important pain-rela
ted variables such as pain and disability levels.
Design: A cross-sectional design was used to examine the relation between m
easures of adult attachment styles and both pain and disability.
Setting: The data used were obtained from the National Comorbidity Survey,
a large and nationally representative sample of community-dwelling individu
als aged 15 to 54 years. In the present study, individuals (n = 381) in the
National Comorbidity Survey with arthritis or related conditions were incl
uded.
Outcome Measures: Ratings regarding three adult attachment styles (secure,
anxious, and avoidant) were obtained by administering Hazan and Shaver's at
tachment self-report in an interview format. Pain and disability were asses
sed in a similar manner using four-point rating scales.
Results: Ratings of insecure attachment were positively and significantly c
orrelated with both pain and disability. A multiple regression analysis rev
ealed that pain severity and the rating of anxious attachment could account
for 20.3% of the variance in disability.
Conclusions: The attachment theory holds promise for understanding reaction
s to pain conditions, and Mikail et al.'s model warrants further investigat
ion.