How do attachment style and social support contribute to women's psychopathology following intimate partner violence? Examining clinician ratings versus self-report
Abstract
Concurrent associations between attachment style and social support in posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and generalized anxiety disorder were explored using regression analyses in a sample of 108 victims of intimate partner violence. To examine whether assessment modality influenced findings, self-report and clinician ratings of psychopathology were compared. Both lower perceived social support and higher attachment anxiety were significantly associated with higher self-reported PTSD; however, only lower social support was significantly associated with clinician assessed PTSD. Lower social support, higher attachment anxiety, and lower attachment closeness were related with higher self-reported depression; however, only lower social support was related to clinician assessed depression. Lastly, only higher attachment anxiety was associated with self-reported GAD, whereas lower attachment dependency showed the only significant association in clinician assessed GAD. Possible explanations for discrepancies between assessment modalities are discussed, with emphasis on application to intimate partner violence and suggestions for future research.
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Woodward et al. found a significant association between higher AR anxiety and higher self-reported PTSS, but not clinician-rated PTSS, in women with experiences of intimate partner violence.
“Woodward et al. [26] found a significant association between higher AR anxiety and higher self-reported PTSS, but not clinician-rated PTSS in a sample of women with experiences of intimate partner violence.”
From Get secure soon: attachment in abused adolescents and young adults before and after trauma-focused cognitive processing therapy. (2021) · cites this paper as [26]
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- Authors
- Woodward, M. J., Patton, S. C., Olsen, S. A., Jones, J. M., Reich, C. M., Blackwell, N., & Beck, J. G.
- Affiliations
- University of Memphis (US)
- VA Boston Healthcare System (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- Corresponding author
- Woodward, Matthew J.
- Venue
- Journal of Anxiety Disorders
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-04
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 312-320
- ISSN
- 0887-6185 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2059894526
- Cited by
- 22
- References
- 72
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 6
- FWCI
- 2.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Anxiety Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Intimate Partner and Family Violence
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Keywords
- intimate partner violence, attachment styles, perceived social support, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, attachment anxiety, women
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Female, Humans, Middle Aged, Object Attachment, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychological Tests, Social Support, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Domestic Violence, Young Adult
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