Attachment style, psychotic phenomena and the relationship with aggression: investigation in a general population sample

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationship between attachment style, sub-clinical symptoms of psychosis and aggression in a general population sample. Design: Using both convenience and snowball sampling, participants in the community (n=213) completed an online questionnaire including p...

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Main Authors: Whale, Katherine, Green, Kathleen, Browne, Kevin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Emerald 2018
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/55062/
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author Whale, Katherine
Green, Kathleen
Browne, Kevin
author_facet Whale, Katherine
Green, Kathleen
Browne, Kevin
author_sort Whale, Katherine
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationship between attachment style, sub-clinical symptoms of psychosis and aggression in a general population sample. Design: Using both convenience and snowball sampling, participants in the community (n=213) completed an online questionnaire including previously validated measures of adult attachment, aggression and psychotic like events. Findings: Results suggested that there were statistically significant correlations between all study variables. Multiple linear regression demonstrated that total psychotic-like experiences and attachment scores significantly predicted variance in total aggression. Moderation approaches revealed that the relationship between psychotic-like events and aggression was stronger in individuals with more insecure attachment styles. Research limitations/implications: This generalisability of the results is compromised by the sampling methodology and the use of self-report tools. However, the significant results would support larger scale replications investigating similar variables. Originality/value: This study suggests there is a relationship between psychotic like experiences and facets of aggression in the general population. The findings suggest that attachment is a contributing factor to aggression associated with psychotic like experiences, and highlight the need for similar investigations within clinical samples. The results imply that attachment may be a useful construct for explanatory models of the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, psychotic experiences and aggression.
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spelling nottingham-550622018-09-20T08:24:08Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/55062/ Attachment style, psychotic phenomena and the relationship with aggression: investigation in a general population sample Whale, Katherine Green, Kathleen Browne, Kevin Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationship between attachment style, sub-clinical symptoms of psychosis and aggression in a general population sample. Design: Using both convenience and snowball sampling, participants in the community (n=213) completed an online questionnaire including previously validated measures of adult attachment, aggression and psychotic like events. Findings: Results suggested that there were statistically significant correlations between all study variables. Multiple linear regression demonstrated that total psychotic-like experiences and attachment scores significantly predicted variance in total aggression. Moderation approaches revealed that the relationship between psychotic-like events and aggression was stronger in individuals with more insecure attachment styles. Research limitations/implications: This generalisability of the results is compromised by the sampling methodology and the use of self-report tools. However, the significant results would support larger scale replications investigating similar variables. Originality/value: This study suggests there is a relationship between psychotic like experiences and facets of aggression in the general population. The findings suggest that attachment is a contributing factor to aggression associated with psychotic like experiences, and highlight the need for similar investigations within clinical samples. The results imply that attachment may be a useful construct for explanatory models of the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, psychotic experiences and aggression. Emerald 2018-08-19 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/55062/1/Final%20submission%20-%20attachment%20style%20sub-clinical%20symptoms%20of%20psychosis%20and%20aggression%20in%20a%20general%20population%20sample.pdf Whale, Katherine, Green, Kathleen and Browne, Kevin (2018) Attachment style, psychotic phenomena and the relationship with aggression: investigation in a general population sample. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research . ISSN 2042-8715
spellingShingle Whale, Katherine
Green, Kathleen
Browne, Kevin
Attachment style, psychotic phenomena and the relationship with aggression: investigation in a general population sample
title Attachment style, psychotic phenomena and the relationship with aggression: investigation in a general population sample
title_full Attachment style, psychotic phenomena and the relationship with aggression: investigation in a general population sample
title_fullStr Attachment style, psychotic phenomena and the relationship with aggression: investigation in a general population sample
title_full_unstemmed Attachment style, psychotic phenomena and the relationship with aggression: investigation in a general population sample
title_short Attachment style, psychotic phenomena and the relationship with aggression: investigation in a general population sample
title_sort attachment style, psychotic phenomena and the relationship with aggression: investigation in a general population sample
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/55062/