While there is extensive research on attachment and the role attachment relationships play in human development, little to no research has applied the concept of alternative attachment figures to the role counselors play in a residential setting with adolescents. Furthermore, little research has explored the impact a counselor's own attachment style may have on his or her ability to foster secure attachment behaviors in clients. In order to explore each of these topics, the current study examined the relationship between female residents of a treatment facility and their counselors. Eight residents and three counselors were selected to participate in the study based on how long the residents had been in treatment. Each completed measure of attachment security as well as in depth qualitative interviews. Profiles were created for each of the counselor/resident dyads and relationship dynamics were compared to previous research in order to explore the therapeutic relationship in light of attachment. Therapeutic implications and areas of future research are also discussed. / Master of Science

The attachment system is activated when a threat is perceived in the environment. Attachment style differences moderate the levels of this activation. Whereas anxiously attached people are more hypervigilant to attachment-related stress, avoidant people have an ability to suppress their attachment related thoughts under stressful conditions. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the subliminal presentation of threat and attachment figure primes interfere with the cognitive task performance of participants with different attachment styles. It was hypothesized that anxious participants would perform worse than secure and avoidant participants under both conditions of attachment-related threat and attachment figure primes. Avoidant participants were expected to perform poorly only when a threat prime is followed by an attachment figure prime. The securely attached participants were expected to perform better than the other attachment groups. University students (N = 225) filled out a questionnaire package including the measures of attachment figure names (WHOTO), attachment anxiety and avoidance (The Experiences in Close Relationships, ECR) / and they were administered computerized Signal Detection and Stroop tasks representing cognitive attentional performance in the laboratory. The results showed that attachment avoidance was a significant predictor of decreased cognitive performance, and attachment anxiety makes people vulnerable to cognitive performance decline only under certain circumstances of attachment system activation. Attachment security was identified to make individuals immune to the effects of threat or attachment figure availability priming on cognitive performance. The findings were discussed considering previous work and implications for cultural differences.

The study aims to investigate the effects of married women&rsquo / s attachment security, caregiving styles, how they initiated marriage (i.e., love vs. arranged) and whether they have egalitarian or traditional marriage on their marital satisfaction and attachment figure transference to their husband. It is expected that attachment to spouse would be stronger and attachment functions would be transferred earlier in love marriages than arranged marriages. Moreover, caregiving styles, attachment security, and egalitarian structure of marriage are expected to predict transference of attachment functions to husbands and marital satisfaction. Married women (N = 204) filled out a questionnaire package including the measures of division of labor in house chores, significant people in their life, attachment anxiety and avoidance, caregiving styles, and marital satisfaction. A series of ANCOVA controlling for the duration of marriage was conducted to compare the participants with arranged and love marriages. Separate hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to predict attachment strength and satisfaction separately for love and arranged marriages. Results revealed no significant difference between arranged and love marriages on the strength and timing of attachment figure transference to spouse. In both types of marriage, sensitive and responsive caregiving styles and low attachment avoidance were associated with stronger attachment to spouse. Although those with egalitarian relationships reported higher levels of marital satisfaction in both love and arranged marriages, women with both egalitarian and love marriages reported the highest levels of marital satisfaction than those with traditional and love marriage. The findings were discussed considering cultural context and previous work.

[pt] A relação médico-paciente consiste numa díade que é hierarquicamente assimétrica. Uma parte cuida e a outra recebe cuidado, análogo ao que ocorre nas relações de apego. O médico teria o papel de figura de apego, possibilitando ativar o seu sistema de cuidado. O objetivo deste estudo é analisar como o sistema de cuidado está inserido na relação médico-paciente, analisando o estilo de apego do médico, além de relacioná-lo à capacidade de cuidado que o médico tem com seu paciente. Foram entrevistados onze hematologistas do Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo com experiência no SUS utilizando um roteiro de entrevista semiestruturado e foi aplicado o instrumento de autorrelato EVA (Escala de Vinculação do Adulto). Após análise de conteúdo das entrevistas e análise por clusters do EVA, os médicos entrevistados apresentaram apego seguro, com aspectos defensivos evitativos e amedrontados. Quatro categorias também foram estabelecidas: experiências pessoais com medicina e/ou hematologia; especificidade da hematologia; como lidar com as questões sobre perdas; e cuidado com o outro. Conclui-se que o presente trabalho prioriza o lado do médico nesta relação, e a importância do atendimento às suas necessidades psicológicas e relacionais. Com isso, intervenções podem ser propostas à equipe de saúde, de forma a cuidar de maneira consistente destes profissionais e aprimorar sua relação com o paciente e seus familiares. / [en] The doctor-patient relationship consists of a hierarchically asymmetrical dyad. One side cares and the other receives care, analogous to the attachment relationship. The doctor would have the attachment figure s role, being able to activate his or her caregiving system. The purpose of this study is to analyze how the care system is inserted in the doctor-patient relationship, analyzing the attachment style of the physician in addition to relating it to the care ability that the doctor has with his/her patient. Eleven hematologists from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo with experience in SUS were interviewed using a semi-structured interview script and the self-report instrument AAS-R (Adult Attachment Scale-Revised) was applied. After content analysis of the interview and a cluster analysis of the AAS-R, all the doctors presented secure attachment, with avoidant-dismissing and avoidant-fearful defensive aspects. Four categories were also analyzed: personal experiences with medicine and/or hematology; hematology s specificity; how to deal with loss; and caring towards other. We concluded that the present it is important to prioritize the doctor s stance in the relationship, and to attend their psychological and relational needs. In that manner, interventions in the healthcare team can be proposed, providing the proper care to the healthcare professional, and, hence, improve their relationship with patients and their family members.

Dans cette étude exploratoire descriptive sur la théorie de l’attachement et la théorie de l’activation, le premier objectif était de déterminer quels types de configurations familiales en fonction de l’identité de la figure d’attachement et de l’identité de la figure d’activation se retrouvaient dans les familles biparentales hétérosexuelles et dans quelles proportions elles étaient représentées. Le second objectif était de vérifier les liens présents entre les configurations familiales et la qualité de l’attachement et la qualité de l’activation pour les deux parents. La situation risquée (RS) et la situation étrangère (SSP) ont été conduites auprès de 175 dyades père-enfant et dyades mère-enfant lorsque les enfants étaient âgés de 12 à 20 mois. Les résultats démontrent la présence de neuf types de configurations familiales dans l’échantillon. Il ressort également de cette étude que seul l’attachement au père dépend du type de configurations familiales. La qualité de l’attachement à la mère ainsi que la qualité de la relation d’activation aux deux parents sont indépendantes des configurations familiales. / The first goal, in this exploratory-descriptive study on attachment theory and activation relationship theory, was to define the different varieties of family configurations in two-parent heterosexual families, based on the identity of the attachment figure and the identity of the activation figure, and also to determine what proportions they represented. The second goal was to identify the links between family configurations and quality of attachment and activation with regards to both parents. The Risky Situation (RS) and the Strange Situation (SS) were conducted with 175 father-child and mother-child dyads for children between the ages of 12 to 20 months. Results indicated there were 9 types of family configurations within our sample. Our findings also indicate that only father attachment was dependant on the type of family configuration. The quality of attachment to the mother and the quality of relationship activation to the two parents were independent of family configuration.

Syftet med pilotstudien var att undersöka hur klienter som deltog i hästunderstödd behandling (n = 13) till följd av psykisk ohälsa såg på relationen till hästen och dess anknytningsfrämjande och alliansskapande egenskaper, samt i vilken utsträckning respondenterna hade ett auktoritärt förhållningssätt gentemot hästen. För jämförelse användes en grupp fritidsryttare (n = 23). Klientgruppen rekryterades genom intresseföreningen Organisationen för Hästunderstödda Insatser (OHI) och fritidsryttargruppen från två ridskolor. Deltagarna fick genomföra en enkät med frågor avseende anknytningsfrämjande kvaliteter i relationen till hästen, samt vilka relationsskapande egenskaper de ansåg hästen besitta. Resultatet indikerade att båda grupperna i hög utsträckning såg positiva egenskaper i hästen och såg relationen till hästen som positiv. Resultaten indikerade att klientgruppen i högre utsträckning såg egenskaper och relationella kvaliteter i hästen som kan ses som anknytningsfrämjande och alliansskapande. Fritidsryttargruppen uppgav i högre utsträckning ett auktoritärt förhållningssätt gentemot hästen. Trots det begränsade urvalet och att resultatet inte genomgående var entydigt, tolkas resultaten som att det finns belägg för vidare utforskning av ämnet och undersökning av frågeställningen för ett större urval med en reviderad kvantitativ enkät då pilotstudien fann signifikanta skillnader mellan grupperna. / The purpose of this pilot study was to explore clients undertaking equine assisted treatment for mental illness (n = 13) view of the horses attachment and working alliance facilitating abilities. Further, the study aimed to explore to which extent the respondents viewed themselves as being authoritative in relation to the horse. For comparison a group of recreational equestrians (n = 23) were used. The respondents in the client group were recruited from the association Organisationen för Hästunderstödda Insatser (OHI) and the recreational equestrians were recruited from two riding schools. The participants undertook a survey with questions regarding attachment facilitating qualities in their relationship with the horse, and which relationship facilitating characteristics they experienced in the horse. The results indicated that the respondents in both groups over all viewed the horses’ characteristics and their relationship with the horse as positive. The results indicated that the client group to a higher extent regarded the horse as having characteristics and relational qualities that could be viewed as alliance and attachment facilitating. The recreational equestrians reported an authoritative approach toward the horse to a larger degree than the client group. Although there were limitations regarding the size of the sample, and coherence in the results, the results indicated that there are grounds for future research of the subject and research question at hand, with the use of a larger population and a revised survey, as the pilot study did find significant differences between the groups.