Attachment and Parental Bond: Impact on Psychopathology, Mental Health and Quality of Life of Hemodialysis Patients: a Cross-sectional Study

Overview

Journal BMC Psychol

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Psychology

Date 2023 Jul 15

PMID 37454118

Authors

Concetta De Pasquale

Maria Luisa Pistorio

Massimiliano Veroux

Gabriella Sapienza

Alberto Florio

Zira Hichy

Burcin Ekser

Alessia Giaquinta

Pierfrancesco Veroux

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: 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.

Design: We used a cross-sectional design.

Methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusions: 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.

Citing Articles

The role of attachment and parental bonding in the psychosocial assessment of transplant candidates: a cross-sectional study.

Pistorio M, De Pasquale C, Veroux M, Bottesi G, Granziol U, Panzeri A BMC Psychol. 2025; 13(1):227.

PMID: 40069790 PMC: 11895345. DOI: 10.1186/s40359-025-02558-7.

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