Lower cognitive reappraisal capacity is related to impairments in attachment and personality structure in poly-drug use: an fMRI study.

Insecure attachment, impaired personality structure and impaired emotion regulation figure prominently in substance use disorders. While negative emotions can trigger drug-use and relapse, cognitive reappraisal may reduce emotional strain by promoting changes in perspective. In the present study, we explored behavioral and neural correlates of cognitive reappraisal in poly-drug use disorder by testing individuals' capability to generate cognitive reappraisals for aversive events (Reappraisal Inventiveness Test). 18 inpatients with poly-drug use disorder and 16 controls completed the Adult Attachment Scale, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Wonderlic Personnel Test, and the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis Structure Questionnaire, as well as two versions of the Reappraisal Inventiveness Test (during fMRI and outside the lab). Compared to controls, polydrug inpatients reported impaired personality structure, attachment and emotion regulation abilities. In the Reappraisal Inventiveness Test, poly-drug inpatients were less flexible and fluent in generating reappraisals for anger-eliciting situations. Corresponding to previous brain imaging evidence, cognitive reappraisal efforts of both groups were reflected in activation of left frontal regions, particularly left superior and middle frontal gyri and left supplemental motor areas. However, no group differences in neural activation patterns emerged. This suggests that despite cognitive reappraisal impairments on a behavioral level, neural reflections of these deficits in poly-drug use disorder might be more complex.

Pinpointing Neural Correlates of Attachment in Poly-Drug Use: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study.

An increasing amount of evidence indicates the significance of attachment in the etiology of poly-drug use disorder (PUD). The aim of this study was to investigate associations between PUD and adult attachment in particular, with a focus on white matter (WM) fiber tract integrity. For this purpose, we selected several regions-of-interest based on previous findings which were examined for their role in PUD and estimated whole-brain associations between adult attachment and WM integrity. A total sample of 144 right-handed males were investigated (Age: M = 27; SD = 4.66). This included a group of patients diagnosed with PUD (n = 70) and a group of healthy controls (HC; n = 74). The Adult Attachment Scales (AAS) was applied to assess attachment attitudes in participants. Diffusion Tensor Imaging was used to investigate differences in WM integrity. The findings suggest substantially less attachment security in PUD patients compared to HC. Furthermore, PUD patients exhibited reduced integrity in WM fiber tracts, most pronounced in the bilateral corticospinal tract, the fronto-occipital fasciculus, and the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus. However, these results were not controlled for comorbid depressiveness. With regard to associations between adult attachment and WM integrity, the results for PUD patients indicate a negative relationship between "Comfort with Closeness" and the structural integrity of a cluster comprising parts of the right anterior thalamic radiation, the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and the uncinate fasciculus. Despite being limited by the cross-sectional design of this study, the results emphasize the significance of attachment in PUD etiology, both at a behavioral and a neurological level. Largely in line with previous research, the findings revealed tentative links between adult attachment and WM fiber tracts related to cognitive and affective functions in PUD patients.

Increased attachment security is related to early therapy drop-out in substance use disorders.

OBJECTIVES: Previous research work suggests a positive association between secure attachment and increased therapy adherence (TA) in different patient groups. However, there is still a strong need for research focusing on the influence of attachment on TA in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Hence, this study attempts to investigate the predictive value of different attachment patterns concerning TA in SUD inpatients. RESULTS: 122 (34 female) SUD inpatients completed the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) during the entry phase of therapeutic community treatment. After 6 weeks, subjects who remained in therapy (n = 47) completed the ASQ for a second time. In line with the literature, agglomerative Cluster Analysis suggested a two-cluster solution (Cluster I: increased secure attachment pattern; Cluster II: increased insecure attachment pattern). Notably, inpatients in Cluster I were more likely to drop out of treatment within the first 6 weeks (p < .001). Furthermore, subjects showed less "Confidence in Self and Others" (p < .05) after 6 weeks of treatment. Our findings indicate a negative predictive value of increased attachment security for TA in SUD inpatients. This finding probably mirrors a more realistic kind of self-assessment. More generally, the importance of considering attachment styles in SUD treatment is underlined.

[Addiction as an attachment disorder]. / Sucht als Bindungsstörung.

BACKGROUND: There is no commonly accepted model for describing the development and treatment of substance use disorders (SUD); however, over several decades the attachment theory has represented an important basis for the clinical handling of SUD. This study gives a systematic review of empirical studies regarding the relationship between SUD and disorders of attachment behavior. OBJECTIVE: Is there a positive relationship between disorders of attachment behavior and the presence of SUD? METHOD: Various databases (PsychInfo, Web of Science, PubMed) were systematically searched in order to pinpoint relevant studies in books and articles published in English or German. Based on the results 22 publications were selected. After a stricter limitation to original research, 12 articles could finally be accepted as eligible. RESULTS: A significant relationship was found between SUD and insecure attachment in 10 out of the 12 studies. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of the research studies reviewed the hypothesis to characterize SUD as a possible expression of an attachment disorder was confirmed. This corroborates the importance of considering attachment parameters in dealing with prevention and treatment of SUD. Further research might focus on non-substance-related addictive disorders and therapy outcome studies.