Attachment and parental bond: impact on psychopathology, mental health and quality of life of hemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional study

• Published in: BMC Psychology Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 210 - 11
• Main Authors: De Pasquale, Concetta, Pistorio, Maria Luisa, Veroux, Massimiliano, Sapienza, Gabriella, Florio, Alberto, Hichy, Zira, Ekser, Burcin, Giaquinta, Alessia, Veroux, Pierfrancesco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 15.07.2023; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Age; Analysis; Attachment; Attachment theory; Bonds; Care and treatment; Chronic Disease; Chronic diseases; Chronic illnesses; Coping; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease; Health aspects; Hemodialysis; Hemodialysis patients; Humans; Intimacy; Kidney transplants; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Object Attachment; Parent and child; Parental bond; Parenting; Parents; Patients; Perceptions; Personality disorders; Psychological aspects; Psychology, Pathological; Psychopathology; Quality of Life; Stress; Suicidal behavior; Well being; United States; Attachment; Psychopathology; Hemodialysis; Parental bond; Mental health; Quality of life
• ISSN: 2050-7283; 2050-7283
• DOI: 10.1186/s40359-023-01246-8

Attachment theory represents a reference model for understanding better how pre-existing personality factors can influence the coping with some chronic conditions. The onset of a chronic disease can represent a "threat" to the relationships between the subject and parental figures according to the type of bond that already exists. The aim of our study was to explore attachment styles in a sample of hemodialysis patients, hypothesizing that a secure attachment bond can constitute a protective factor for the quality of life and mental health in this type of patients. We used a cross-sectional design. Fifty hemodialysis patients were given the following tests: Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) to assess attachment styles, Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) to assess parental bonding, Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36) for perceived quality of life and Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (MHQ) to detect key psychological symptoms and relevant traits. The results showed that secure attachment style correlated with good general health (r = 0.339; p < 0.05), good mental health (r = 0.547; p < 0.001) and mental component scale (r = 0.373; p < 0.05) of SF-36. Secure attachment was also significantly associated with mental health (B = 1.104; p = .002) of the SF-36. The results confirmed the positive role of a secure attachment style for adequate psychological health. Early identification of patients with dysfunctional attachment styles will make it possible to offer them targeted interventions to improve their ability to accept, adapt and manage the disease and to maintain adequate psychological well-being.