Attachment Studies with Borderline Patients: A Review

Summary & key facts

Researchers reviewed 13 studies that looked at how people with borderline personality disorder form close bonds. Every study found a clear link between the disorder and insecure attachment, meaning unstable or troubled ways of relating to others. The insecure patterns most often seen were called unresolved, preoccupied, and fearful — people who want closeness but also worry a lot about depending on others or being rejected. The studies used many different methods, so the reviewers say comparisons are hard. They suggest these attachment patterns might be markers of vulnerability to the disorder and deserve more study.

Key facts:

• The review looked at 13 empirical studies of adults with borderline personality disorder or strong borderline traits.
• All 13 studies reported a strong association between borderline personality disorder and insecure attachment.
• The attachment types most commonly found were called unresolved, preoccupied, and fearful.
• Unresolved, preoccupied, and fearful attachment describe people who long for intimacy but also fear dependency and rejection.
• Comparing results across studies was difficult because the studies used a wide variety of measures and ways of defining attachment.
• The authors conclude that these insecure attachment patterns could be observable markers of vulnerability to borderline personality disorder and recommend more research on this idea.

Abstract

Clinical theorists have suggested that disturbed attachments are central to borderline personality disorder (BPD) psychopathology. This article reviews 13 empirical studies that examine the types of attachment found in individuals with this disorder or with dimensional characteristics of BPD. Comparison among the 13 studies is handicapped by the variety of measures and attachment types that these studies have employed. Nevertheless, every study concludes that there is a strong association between BPD and insecure attachment. The types of attachment found to be most characteristic of BPD subjects are unresolved, preoccupied, and fearful. In each of these attachment types, individuals demonstrate a longing for intimacy and--at the same time--concern about dependency and rejection. The high prevalence and severity of insecure attachments found in these adult samples support the central role of disturbed interpersonal relationships in clinical theories of BPD. This review concludes that these types of insecure attachment may represent phenotypic markers of vulnerability to BPD, suggesting several directions for future research.

Topics

Attachment and Relationship Dynamics Personality Disorders and Psychopathology Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Association (psychology) Attachment theory Borderline personality disorder Clinical psychology Computer science Computer security Dependency (UML) Developmental psychology Engineering Insecure attachment Interpersonal communication Interpersonal relationship Psychology Psychopathology Psychotherapist Social psychology Systems engineering Vulnerability (computing)

Conditions & symptoms

Feeling disconnected from others