Attachment Style Change and Symptom Change in Brief Psychotherapy: A Naturalistic Study

Attachment Style Change and Symptom Change in Brief Psychotherapy: A Naturalistic Study
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Published on 2008 by ProQuest

The present study examined the relationship between client attachment style and therapy utilization and symptom change. Participants included 90 clients from a Mid-Atlantic university counseling center at intake and 33 clients who participated to termination. Participants completed questionnaires regarding demographic information, adult attachment, and symptom distress prior to therapy and after termination. Measures of the clients' therapeutic alliance were ascertained following the 3rd session of therapy. Results indicated that clients' attachment style was associated with initial symptom distress. Participants with a preoccupied or fearful attachment style reported greater symptom distress than those with a secure or dismissing attachment style. There was a positive correlation between attachment avoidance and treatment utilization; however attachment avoidance was negatively related to clients' ratings of the therapy alliance. Results demonstrated that 21% of the sample displayed significant change in attachment and 33% in symptom distress. Regression analysis of residual change scores suggested that change in attachment anxiety accounted for a significant amount of variance in change in symptom distress. Results suggest change in attachment is related to symptom change. The implications of the findings for future research and practice are discuss.

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