Self-help Articles

by Lachlan A. McWilliams, Ph.D., and S. Jeffrey Bailey, Ph.D.

The first study to examine adult attachment and a range of specific health conditions has uncovered that people who felt insecure in relationships or avoided getting close to others might be at a higher risk for several chronic diseases and cardiovascular problems. The study, which was lead by author Lachlan A. McWilliams, Ph.D. and published by the American Psychological Association, examined data on 5, 645 adults age 18 to 60 from the National Cormorbidity Survey Replication.

Insecure Attachment Styles

The participants of the study rated themselves on three attachment styles – secure, avoidant, and anxious. Secure attachment refers to an individual’s willingness to get close to others and have people depend on him or her. Avoidant attachment refers to the difficulty to get close to others and trust them while anxious attachment refers to the tendency to worry about rejection, feel needy and find others reluctant to get close to them. Participants were also questioned about their histories of arthritis, chronic back or neck problems, frequent or severe headaches, seasonal allergies, stroke, heart attack and psychological disorders. They disclosed whether a doctor had told them they had heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, chronic lung disease, diabetes or high blood sugar, ulcers, epilepsy, seizures or cancer.

Associated Health Conditions

The authors found that avoidant attachment was positively associated with conditions defined primarily by pain (e.g., frequent or severe headaches). Anxious attachment, on the other hand, was positively associated with a wider range of health conditions including some defined primarily by chronic pain, several involving the cardiovascular system (e.g., stroke, heart attack or high blood pressure) and ulcers. This was noted researchers had adjusted for lifetime histories of common psychological disorders and the demographic variables that could account for the health conditions.

“These findings suggest that insecure attachment may be a risk factor for a wide range of health problems, particularly cardiovascular diseases. Longitudinal research on this topic is needed to determine whether insecure attachment predicts the development of cardiovascular disease and the occurrence of cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks,” said McWilliams. "The findings also raise the possibility that interventions aimed at improving attachment security could also have positive health outcomes.”

Article:

“Associations Between Adult Attachment Ratings and Health Conditions: Evidence From the National Comorbidity Survey Replication,” Lachlan A. McWilliams, PhD, and S. Jeffrey Bailey, PhD; Acadia University; Health Psychology, Vol. 29, No. 4