Comparing parental bonding and attachment styles in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety and depression

Introduction:The aim of the present study is to compare parental bonding and attachment styles in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety, and depression. The main hypothesis of the study is that patients with generalized anxiety, obsession, and depression differ significantly in their attachment style and parental bonding.Material and Methods:This is a causal-comparative study on all patients referring to governmental and private clinics of Ardebil from September 2009 to February 2010. Our study population consisted of 38 patients with generalized anxiety, 36 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and 36 patients with depression who completed the Brennan, Clark and Shaver’s attachment style questionnaire, Parker, Tupling and Brown’s parental bonding questionnaire, and Beck’s anxiety and depression questionnaire. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance and Tukey’s post hoc test.Results:Our findings indicate that the three clinical groups were significantly different in terms of attachment style and parental bonding (p<0.05).Conclusion:Insecure and disorganized attachment styles are related to anxiety and mood disorders while avoidant attachment style is rarely reported in these disorders.