High Anxiety Attachment in Eating Disorders: Intergenerational Transmission by Mothers and Fathers

Abstract Research on eating disorders (ED) has shown in patients a prevalence of insecure attachment working models (IWMs). Nevertheless, the issue of a prevalence, in patients, of high anxiety IWMs (HAIWMs) has rarely been addressed. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence in ED patients of high anxiety IWMs and their transmission by parents. The Separation Anxiety Test was administered to 55 patients with an ED, a control sample (n = 80), their mothers and fathers. The two groups differed significantly, with a prevalence of HAIWMs in the patients and their parents compared to the controls; in ED no significant difference appeared in mother-patient versus father-patient matching for HAIWMs. The implication is that patients with an ED might benefit more from individual attachment-based therapy and/or a family therapy than from other types of psychotherapeutic approaches.