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Security of attachment and adolescents' depression
 
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Szkoła Wyższa Psychologii Społecznej
 
 
Submission date: 2017-02-22
 
 
Final revision date: 2017-04-01
 
 
Acceptance date: 2017-05-08
 
 
Publication date: 2017-08-31
 
 
Corresponding author
Anna Wendołowska   

Szkoła Wyższa Psychologii Społecznej, Zgodna 80, Libertów, 30-444 Kraków, Polska
 
 
Psychoter 2017;181(2):87-102
 
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ABSTRACT
Objectives:
The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of internal working models in the prediction of depression. Insecure attachment has been theorized to form a vulnerability factor for the emergence of depressive symptoms.

Methods:
This study examined the association of attachment style with depressive symptoms among early adolescents 12–15 years of age (N= 84). For the assessment of attachment style and depressive symptoms, the Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan, Main), and the Child Depression Inventory (Kovacs) were used.

Results:
As expected, insecurely attached adolescents more often reported the depressive symptoms (52,3%). 58,8% of the securely attached did not manifest any symptoms of depression. In the group of the continuous secure adolescents, there were 71,4% of non-depressive ones. 50% individuals in the earned secure category did not report any depressive symptoms, and the other 50% expressed light depressive symptoms. There were no cases of severe depression among representants of both: continuous secure and earned secure styles.

Conclusions:
Bowlby’s attachment theory provides in-depth understanding into the development of working models of the self and the others. Secure attachment is significantly correlated with high self-esteem, effective affect regulation and better adolescence adjustment. The continuous secure category seems to function as a more effective protector against depression comparing to the earned secure one. However no cases of severe depression among earned secure individuals confirm weightiness of the quality of attachment in a healthy development.

eISSN:2391-5862
ISSN:0239-4170
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