Relationship between attachment styles and cluster B Personality disorders among adult males and females diagnosed with the disorder in Qeshm Island, Iran

Abstract

The current study attempted to examine the relationship between the three attachment styles (secure, anxious/ambivalent, and avoidant) and the four Cluster B personality disorders (borderline, antisocial, narcissistic, and histrionic) among males and females diagnosed with the disorder in the island of Qeshm, Iran. A total of 80 adult male and female patients diagnosed with Cluster B personality disorder, aged between 18 and 65 years, were referred by 28otmail28ed28 centers, psychiatric clinics, and hospitals in Qeshm Island, Iran for participation in this research study. The participants were asked to complete the Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI) and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI). Data analysis involved both descriptive and inferential statistics including reliability analysis, means, and standard deviations for the computed factors, GLM multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to test for gender differences, and multiple regression analysis. The results revealed that none of the three attachment styles significantly predicted any of the four Cluster B personality disorders. Additionally, no overall gender difference was found in the seven variables combined. Implications, limitations, and avenues for future research are presented.