Attachment Styles and Personality Structure

Introduction: Several studies have shown that insecure attachment representations play a central role in the psychopathology of personality disorders, however, it is unclear how the adult attachment disorders relate to the personality organization. Objective: To evaluate the correlation between secure, dismissing and preoccuppied attachment styles and personality structure, in two samples: a clinic and a control group. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study with a sample of 27 women hospitalized in a psychiatric unit and a non-clinical sample of 24 women in regular health check. Inventory of Personality Organization (IPO) and the Cartes: Modeles Individuels de Relation (CAMIR) were applied. Results: The percentage of secure prototype is lower in the clinical group (14.8% vs. 37.5%). The clinical group showed on average 22 points higher on the IPO. No significant association between attachment style and the three primary scales of the IPO was observed, although the score on these three scales was lower among those with a secure attachment style. People with secure attachment had on average 42 points lower on the OQ-45.2 than the other two groups, a difference that was statistically significant. Conclusion: Small sample size would not permit the association to be statistically significant. Further research is needed.