Attachment strategies and substance abuse: A study of a clinical sample of Greek young adults

Abstract

Attachment theory is a theoretical paradigm based on the assumption that affectional bonds and early experiences between infants and their caregivers have long-lasting effects on personality development, interpersonal relationships and psychopathology. The present study attempted to investigate how drug abuse, divorce, age of onset of abuse, and gender were related to perceived attachment in a clinical sample of Greek youth. Results showed that compared to larger population samples, substance abusers had higher avoidance and lower anxiety scores. In addition, parental divorce and age of onset of abuse were not fond to relate with neither avoidant nor anxious attachment. Furthermore, no differences were found between males and females in scores of avoidance and anxiety. Finally, there were no significant differences in either anxiety or avoidance levels between cannabis, heroin and polytoxic users. Further research regarding attachment and substance abuse disorders in larger samples is proposed.