Attachment and Personality Disorders Among Child Molesters: The Role of Trust
Date
2017
Authors
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Publisher
Sexual abuse: A journal of research and treatment
Abstract
The present study investigated multivariate associations between attachment styles
and personality disorders (PDs)—and the mediating role of trust—in a sample of child
molesters (n = 84) and a matched control group from the general community (n =
80). Among child molesters, canonical correlation analysis revealed that two variates
resembling avoidant and anxious attachment dimensions were associated with PD
traits. Attachment avoidance was related to schizoid, schizotypal, and avoidant PDs,
with a marginal contribution of antisocial PD. Attachment anxiety was related to
borderline and histrionic PDs, with a marginal contribution of obsessive-compulsive
PD. Paranoid and dependent PDs contributed to both variates. In the control group,
a more general association between attachment insecurity and PDs emerged. Finally,
mistrust significantly explained the associations between attachment and PDs in both
samples. Future studies should examine whether treatment for PDs in child molesters
could benefit from a focus on attachment and trust
Description
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Keywords
attachment, trust, offenders, perpetrators
Citation
Garofalo, C., & Bogaerts, S. (2017). Attachment and personality disorders among child molesters: The role of trust. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment. 1079063217720928.