TABLE 2.
Studies of Attachment in Borderline Personality Disorder Samples
| BPD sample |
Comparison group |
Attachment |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study | n | Diagnostic method |
Comments | n | Diagnostic type |
Diagnostic method |
Comments | Measure | Type | Target relationships |
Comments |
| Sperling et al. (1991)33 | 24 | Records + DSM-III-R | Reliability unnoted | 128 | Normals | None | Reliability unnoted; unmatched | ASI | Ambivalent, avoidant, hostile | Peers | |
| West et al. (1993)34 | 47 | MCMI | Reliability unnoted | 38 | Others | MCMI | Reliability unnoted; unmatched | RAQ | Feared loss, secure base, compulsive care seeking, angry withdrawal | Unspecified | |
| Dutton et al. (1994)35 | ? | BPOQ | Reliable | 40 | Non-abusive men | N/A | Reliability unnoted; unmatched | RQ, RSQ | Fearful, preoccupied | Peers | |
| Patrick et al. (1994)36 | 12 | Records + DSM-III-R | Reliability unnoted | 12 | Dysthymia | Records | Reliability unnoted; matched | AAI | Unresolved, preoccupied (predominantly fearful subtype) | Mother/father | Reliability unnoted, blind |
| Stalker & Davies (1995)37 | 8 | SCID-II | Reliable | 32 | Others | SCID-II | Reliable; unmatched | AAI | Unresolved, preoccupied, dismissing | Mother/father | Reliable, not blind |
| Fonagy et al. (1996)13 | 36 | SCID-II | Reliable | 49 | Others | SCID-II | Reliable; matched | AAI | Unresolved, preoccupied | Mother/father | Reliable, ?blind |
| 85 | Normals | ||||||||||
| Rosenstein & Horowitz (1996)38 | ? | MCMI | Reliable | ? | Others | MCMI | Reliable; unmatched | AAI | Preoccupied, dismissing | Mother/father | Reliable, blind |
| Sack et al. (1996)39 | 49 | Records + DSM-II-R | Reliability unnoted | 53 | Normals | N/A | Reliability unnoted; unmatched | ASR | Avoidant, anxious/ambivalent | Peers | |
| ASI | Ambivalent, hostile, avoidant | Mother/father | |||||||||
| RAQ | Compulsive caregiving, compulsive care seeking, compulsive self-reliance, angry withdrawal | Unspecified | |||||||||
| Brennan & Shaver (1998)40 | 426 | PDQ-R | Reliability unnoted; dimensional scores | 341 | Normals | PDQ-R | Unmatched | RQ | Fearful, preoccupied, dismissing | Peers | |
| 630 | Other PD | ||||||||||
| Fossati et al. (2001)41 | 44 | SCID-II | Reliable | 206 | Normals | SCID-II | Reliable; unmatched | ASQ | Preoccupied, fearful, dismissing | Unspecified | |
| 39 | Other PD | ||||||||||
| 70 | No PD | ||||||||||
| Meyer et al. (2001)42 | ? | PDE or SIDP | Dimensional scores | ? | Other PD dimensions | PDE or SIDP | Reliable; unmatched | N/A | Borderline | Unspecified | |
| Nickell et al. (2002)43 | ? | PAI-BOR, SIDP-IV, DIB-R, MMPI-BPD | Reliable | ? | Others | PAI-BOR, SIDP-IV, DIB-R, MMPI-BPD | Reliable; unmatched | ASR | Anxious/ambivalent | Peers | |
| Barone (2003)44 | 40 | SCID-II | Reliable | 40 | Normals | N/A | Reliability unnoted; matched | AAI | Unresolved, preoccupied | Mother/father | |
ASI, Attachment Styles Inventory; BPOQ, Borderline Personality Disorder Questionnaire; DIB-R, Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines, Revised; DSM, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual; MCMI, Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory; MMPI-BPD, MMPI Borderline Personality Disorder Scale; N/A, not applicable; Normals, nonpatients; Others, nonborderline patients; PAI-BOR, Personality Assessment Inventory Borderline Features Scale; PD, personality disorder; PDE, Personality Disorder Examination; PDQ-R, Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire Revised; RAQ, Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire; Records, clinical chart; SCID-II, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Axis II; SI, structured interview; SIDP-R, Structured Interview for DSM-III-R Personality; SIDP-IV, Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality.