Attachment styles of patients with major depressive, obsessive-compulsive, and generalized anxiety disorders

Introduction: This study was conducted in order to compare the attachment styles of the patients suffering from major depression disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) with those of the healthy people. Methods: In this case-control study, a total number of 60 male/female patients with MDD and OCD were categorized into three 20-subject groups, then 20 healthy people were included in one control group. The study instruments were Hazan and Shaver's Attachment Style Questionnaire (version 1993), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI), Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The data were analyzed using chi-square test. Results: There was a significant difference between the attachment styles of the healthy people and the patients suffering from MDD (P < 0.001), OCD (P = 0.013) and GAD (P = 0.013). Moreover, a significant difference was observed between the attachment styles of patients with MDD, OCD (P = 0.012) and GAD (P = 0.010). These findings indicated that patients with MDD were more insecurely attached in comparison to patients with OCD and GAD. However, there was no significant difference between the attachment styles of patients with OCD and GAD (P = 0.089). Conclusion: This study indicated that there was a significant difference between the attachment styles of patients with MDD, OCD, and GAD, and the healthy people. This finding indicates that in the etiology of mental disorders, the effects of attachment styles should not be disregarded.