Attachment, Contemporary Interpersonal Theory and IPT: An Integration of Theoretical, Clinical, and Empirical Perspectives (original) (raw)
Related papers
Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 2007
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) is an effective , pragmatic treatment for depression but interpersonal explanations of its effectiveness are not fully developed. This paper presents an integration of aspects of attachment theory and contemporary interpersonal theory which explains how interpersonal interactions contribute to a clinical understanding of depression and its treatment through IPT. We test hypotheses of interpersonal change in a case series of depressed patients treated with IPT. The results demonstrate that both attachment insecurity and interpersonal problems improve significantly over a 16 week course of treatment. Further research into the interpersonal processes that alleviate depression is needed.
Research on aptitude-treatment interactions, or patient characteristics that are associated with better outcome in one treatment than another, can help assign patients to the treatments that will be most personally effective. Theory and one past study suggest that adult attachment style might influence whether depressed patients respond better to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT). Given the inconsistency in past aptitude-treatment interaction research, as well as concerns about the reproducibility of psychological research in general, we sought to replicate and extend the previous study that showed that high attachment avoidance was associated with greater depression reduction in CBT than in IPT and to improve upon that study methodologically. Using longitudinal hierarchical linear modeling, the present study examined whether, among 69 adults randomly assigned to CBT or IPT, rate of change in severity of depression symptoms was predicted by treatment condition, attachment style, and their interaction. We also conducted regression analyses to determine whether posttreatment depression was predicted by the same variables. As expected, CBT and IPT were equivalent in efficacy; however, unlike in the previous trial, there were no moderation effects of attachment. Interestingly, in some analyses, anxious attachment was associated with more positive outcomes and avoidant attachment with more negative outcomes across both treatments. The findings highlight the need for researchers to attempt replications of past studies using methods that might elucidate the reasons for discrepancies in results, and they also suggest that alternative approaches to aptitude-treatment interaction research may be more fruitful.
The Relevance of Attachment Theory for Psychotherapy
2017
12:30-13:30 Lunch Break (on your own) ISIPT Members Lunch*-Mentoring Launch Ballroom A special opportunity to meet with expert IPT researchers and clinicians…or simply to network with friends and colleagues. Topic-oriented mentoring tables will focus on themes such as adolescent depression, group IPT, peripartum mood disorders, organizing and conducting IPT training, IPSRT, brief interventions/IPC, etc.Sign-up sheets for the mentoring tables will be available at the Registration Desk.
E-Journal of Applied Psychology, 2012
Attachment theory is an encompassing theory for understanding human reactions to life stressors, such as loss and separation, and interpersonal problems are common reasons for seeking psychotherapy. Psychotherapy may be an opportunity to revise insecure attachment and handle interpersonal problems. This study examined attachment styles and interpersonal problems in a clinical sample of psychotherapy patients (n = 168) at the start of psychotherapy. The main aim was to study how self-reported attachment styles, measured by the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), correlated with interpersonal problems measured using the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP). Avoidant-related and anxious-related attachment scales correlated positively to the total IIP scores. Inconsistent with findings in nonclinical samples, specific interpersonal problems in the dominant and affiliative parts of the IIP correlated positively to both the anxious-related and the avoidantrelated attachment scales. The findings imply that a challenge for the therapist at the start of psychotherapy is to balance providing security with encouraging exploration of feelings, thoughts, and behaviour in the patient's interpersonal problems in current relationships. Exploring individual profiles of attachment styles helps to clarify motives in expressed interpersonal problems.
Attachment and Interpersonal Theory and Group Therapy: Two Sides of the Same Coin
International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 2017
Attachment and interpersonal theories and therapies have significant overlap, in terms of both theoretical underpinnings and overlapping factor structure of the instruments used. This article discusses how group theories and therapies utilize this common conceptual framework both in well-established and newer approaches. In the last 20 years, attachment theory has been empirically linked to adult functioning, psychopathology, and psychotherapy. It has grown to inform couples, family, individual, and more recently group therapy, with the contributions in this issue outlining how science can inform practice. This article will explore how attachment can be integrated with one of the most common group theories, interpersonal theory, and demonstrate how these two therapies are, in fact, two sides of the same coin.
Applying attachment theory to psychotherapy practice
2014
In contrast to attempts to blend attachment ideas into a single unified therapy, Geoff Fitzgerald has drawn upon attachment research, theory and practice to identify four dimensions of therapeutic practice within which attachment ideas can be organised as the cornerstones of an attachmentoriented psychotherapeutic practice. While attachment theory and practice does not hold an exclusive claim on any of these dimensions, it offers a unique contribution to understanding and applying them. By holding all four dimensions in mind when working with clients, practitioners can access and implement the depth and breadth of attachment theory and practice. A case study is used to illustrate these four dimensions. Several therapy models based on attachment theory are reviewed to consider how they illustrate and express these dimensions of attachment practice; schema therapy, brief dynamic interpersonal therapy, mentalization based therapy, emotionally focused couple therapy, and attachment-base...
Psychotherapy Research, 2020
This study examined changes in depressed adolescents' reports of dysfunctional attitudes while receiving interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-A) and the relationship between the change in dysfunctional attitudes and change in attachment anxiety and avoidance with IPT-A. Forty adolescents (age 12-17) participated in a 16-week randomized clinical trial of four adaptive treatment strategies that began with IPT-A and augmented treatment for insufficient responders by adding additional IPT-A sessions or the antidepressant medication, fluoxetine. Measures of attachment anxiety and avoidance (Experience in Close Relationships Scale-Revised [ECR-R]), dysfunctional attitudes (Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale [DAS]), and depression (Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised [CDRS-R]) were administered at baseline and weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16. Adolescents demonstrated a significant decrease in dysfunctional attitudes (DAS) over the course of treatment. Reductions in dysfunctional attitudes (DAS) were also significantly associated with reductions in attachment anxiety and avoidance (ECR-R), controlling for depression (CDRS-R). Our results suggest that change in adolescents' attachment anxiety and avoidance may be an important mechanism of change in adolescents' dysfunctional thinking patterns.