Paliouras,
Christy (3/09) Dissociation and its relationship to defensive coping style in
adolescents with unresolved attachment classifications (Nicholas Papouchis, Ph.D.;
Lisa Samstag, Ph.D.; Howard McGuire, Ph.D.)
This study examined the relationship
between Unresolved attachment classifications, as measured by the Adult
Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1984, 1985, 1996) and
features of dissociation and defense mechanisms. Twenty-nine late adolescents
recruited from a fostercare agency and an undergraduate university sample were
administered the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), the Dissociative Experiences
Scale (DES), and the Defense Style Quesionnaire (DSQ). The AAI was coded for
states of mind in regards to attachment as well as for Referential Activity
(RA) (Bucci, 1997a). Unresolved participants exhibited significantly greater
variability in Referential Activity scores, supporting the hypothesis that the
coping mechanisms of Unresolved individuals are less stable than those of
Resolved individuals. Dismissive individuals were found to have significantly
lower RA scores when discussing abuse, supporting the notion of avoidance as a
primary coping mechanism among this population. Surprisingly, no significant
elevations were found between the self-report endorsement of maladaptive
defenses or dissociation mechanisms among Unresolved participants. Similarly
surprising was the lack of elevation of adaptive defense mechanisms among
Secure participants. The significance of these findings, as well as exploratory
findings linking decreased dissociation with increased defense mechanism
identification, are discussed.
