Attachment, fear of intimacy and differentiation of self among clients in substance disorder treatment facilities

Fred Arne Thorberg, Michael Lyvers*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

85 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Attachment, fear of intimacy and differentiation of self were examined by means of self-report questionnaires in 158 volunteers, including 99 clients enrolled in addiction treatment programs. As expected, clients (who were undergoing treatment for alcoholism, heroin addiction, amphetamine/cocaine addiction or cannabis abuse) reported higher levels of insecure attachment and fear of intimacy, and lower levels of secure attachment and differentiation of self, compared to controls. Insecure attachment, high fear of intimacy and low self-differentiation appear to characterize clients enrolled in addiction treatment programs. Such characteristics may reflect a predisposition to substance problems, an effect of chronic substance problems, or conceivably both.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)732-737
Number of pages6
JournalAddictive Behaviors
Volume31
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2006

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