| Summary: | The purpose of this thesis was to examine the relationship between adult attachment style and health. Design Three questionnaire studies and one interview study were completed. Method . Questionnaires were administered to examine the relationship between attachment style and symptom reporting in healthy undergraduates (study 1) and cardiac patients (study 3). In Study 2 physiological response to stress was also measured. Study 4 used a semi structured interview approach to examine illness experience in cardiac patients. Results In study 1 insecurely attached students reported more somatic, anxious, social dysfunction and depressed symptoms than secure students. This relationship was mediated by anger and social support. In study 2 baseline differences in cardiac output and total peripheral differences were found, however, no differences were found in response to stress. Furthermore, insecurely attached students reported more depressed symptoms than those classed as secure. No mediators were identified. In study 3 the relationship between attachment styles on symptom reporting was . examined in chronic heart failure (CHF) and transplant populations. Insecure CHF patients reported a greater number of symptoms than secure patients. Anger and social support mediated this relationship. Only one difference was reported in the transplant group, with insecurely attached transplant patients reported more depressed symptoms than those classed as secure. Finally,interviews in study 4 identified four themes of control, normality, social support and emotional disclosure. Standardised symptom reporting tools may not capture these elements of the patient experience, and attachment style may offer one explanation for the variations reported by respondents. Conclusion In conclusion, the results of this thesis support attachment related differences in symptom reporting behaviour in clinical and non clinical populations, and that anger and social support mediated this relationship. The research suggests that attachment style may be a valuable tool to be utilised within the health services.
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