Adolescents' strengths and difficulties: approach to attachment styles

WOS: 000277869300006PubMed ID: 20584240Accessible summary This paper views the psychodynamic theoretical of attachment style and mental health outcomes. Pathological attachment in childhood may give rise to repetition of maladaptive attachment patterns in adolescents. Attachment styles may conduce to later interpersonal relationship and emotional self-regulation. A security attachment is very important for a child's mental health, and emotional and social development. Behavioural and emotional difficulties during adolescence may put the adolescent at risk for mental disease. In this study, adolescent attachment style affected their strengths and difficulties. Increased emotional difficulties as well as insecure attachment styles were significantly positively correlated with adolescent early childhood. Psychiatric nurse practitioners may identify an adolescent's attachment style problem and mental difficulties. The psychiatric nurse practitioner can play a vital role in recognizing pathological attachment and ensuring that the adolescent with this disorder receive prompt mental health assessment and therapy. Abstract This research is a descriptive field study conducted in order to investigate the relationship between adolescent difficulties and the attachment style. The study aims to investigate the relationship between adolescent attachment style and strength and difficulties in Turkey. Children attachment style and difficulties pattern in the group of adolescents aged 11-16 years old were compared with each other. Several different questionnaires, including The Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, The Relationship Scale Questionnaire were applied to 384 (mean age 12.10 +/- 1.4 years) adolescents. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, anova, t-test, Kruskall Wallis and effect sizes. The adolescent secure attachment style was associated with increased levels of prosocial behaviour, decreased levels of emotional symptoms, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems, conduct problems, total difficulties scores. The adolescent fearful attachment style was associated with increased levels of emotional symptoms, and total difficulties scores. The adolescent dismissing attachment style was significantly associated with higher levels of emotional symptoms, hyperactivity/inattention, total difficulties scores and lower levels of prosocial behaviour. Adolescent strengths and difficulties are associated with their attachment style. Insecure attachment styles of dismissing and fearful were associated with increased mental symptom reporting. It is suggested that further studies may illuminate the clinical value of the attachment disorder and quantify parental contribution to psychopathology. Giving the therapeutic, structured mental support programme to adolescents that have attachment problems could be beneficial in improving mental status of these individuals