Attachment style, psychotic phenomena and the relationship with aggression: an investigation in a general population sample
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-04-2018-0356 |
| Pages | 47-58 |
| Published date | 11 February 2019 |
| Date | 11 February 2019 |
| Author | Katherine Whale,Kathleen Green,Kevin Browne |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Aggression, conflict & peace,Sociology,Gender studies,Gender violence,Political sociology, policy & social change,Social conflicts,War/peace |
Attachment style, psychotic phenomena
and the relationship with aggression:
an investigation in a general
population sample
Katherine Whale, Kathleen Green and Kevin Browne
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between attachment style, sub-clinical
symptoms of psychosis and aggression in a general population sample.
Design/methodology/approach –Using both convenience and snowball sampling, participants in the
community (n ¼213) completed an online questionnaire including previously validated measures of adult
attachment, aggression and psychotic experiences.
Findings –Results suggested that there were statistically significant correlationsbetween all study variables.
Multiplelinear regressiondemonstrated that totalpsychotic-likeexperiences and attachmentscores significantly
predicted variance in total aggression. Moderation approaches revealed that the relationship between
psychotic-likeevents and aggression was stronger in individuals with more insecure attachmentstyles.
Research limitations/implications –This generalisability of the results is compromised by the sampling
methodology and the use of self-report tools. However, the significant results would support larger scale
replications investigating similar variables.
Originality/value –This study suggests there is a relationship between psychotic-like experiences (PLEs)
and facets of aggression in the general population. These results suggest that attachment is a contributing
factor to aggression associated with PLEs, and highlight the need for similar investigations within clinical
samples. The results imply that attachment may be a useful construct for explanatory models of the
relationship between adverse childhood experiences, psychotic experiences and aggression.
Keywords Risk, Aggression, Schizophrenia, Psychosis, Attachment, Trauma
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
This study aimed to explore the relationships between attachment, sub-clinical symptoms of
psychosis and aggression in a community sample.
Attachment
Attachment theory suggests that human beings are predisposed to form bonds with primary
care-givers. A child’s experiences with attachment figures will influence his or her internal
working models of self and others (Bowlby, 1982), forming a prototype for the later relationships
(Bartholomew and Horowitz, 1991). The quality of early attachments is related to the child’s
reliance on attachment figures as a source of security (Ainsworth et al., 1978). A child’s internal
model of others is influenced by the degree to which the attachment figure is seen as someone
who is responsive to the need for support and protection; their internal model of self is influenced
by whether or not the self is judged to be someone to whom the attachment figure responds to in
a helpful way (Bowlby, 1973).
Received 10 April 2018
Revised 19 July 2018
Accepted 19 July 2018
Katherine Whale is based at
The University of Nottingham,
Nottingham, UK.
Kathleen Green is a Forensic
Psychologist at The University
of Nottingham and
Nottinghamshire NHS Trust,
Nottingham, UK.
Kevin Browne is Director of the
Centre for Forensic and Family
Psychology at The University of
Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
DOI 10.1108/JACPR-04-2018-0356 VOL. 11 NO. 1 2019, pp.47-58, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1759-6599
j
JOURNAL OF AGGRESSION, CONFLICTAND PEACERESEARCH
j
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