Secure patient-therapist attachment following therapy for personality disorder in a forensic mental health setting

Therapy for personality disorder can be understood as a process of enhancing attachment security. This study tests the theory that individuals in a secure forensic mental health setting with a diagnosis of personality disorder who have undertaken psychological therapy will report secure patterns of attachment in their relationship with their therapist. It uses a novel pattern matching approach that assesses the behavioural, cognitive and affective markers of attachment security in a group of patients undergoing therapy. Eight core tenets of the theory were generated, including behavioural, cognitive and affective markers of secure attachment. Ten patients completed a semi-structured interview about their experiences in therapy and key relationships, and their responses were used to test the eight attachment tenets. Seven of the eight tenets were supported, and nine out of ten participants reported evidence of secure attachment to their therapist. This study supports the theory that treatment for this group of patients works by developing patient-therapist attachments. A focus on attachment issues should, therefore, be a core aspect of therapy. This entry contains the raw interview data from this stud