Psychiatric staff perceptions of patient attachments: a pilot study to investigate differences in and predictors of psychiatric staff perceptions of patient attachments

Objectives

We explored the extent to which a group of psychiatric staff differed in their ratings of patients’ attachment styles and whether deviations in mean ratings were related to education, clinical experience, familiarity with patients, or staff attachment styles.

Method

Fifteen mental healthcare workers assessed the attachment styles of nine patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder using the Psychosis Attachment Measure. Staff also reported on their own attachment styles. Similarity in ratings was investigated using two-way random interclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). An index showing how much each rater’s assessments of attachment style deviated from the mean attachment style rating for each of the patients was used to investigate possible predictors of deviations from mean ratings.

Results

Average staff ICCs for attachment anxiety and avoidance suggested reasonable levels of convergence between staff perceptions. Deviations from mean ratings were unrelated to staff qualifications or years of experience in mental health. However, staff who had known patients for longer periods tended to rate patients more similarly, whereas staff who had higher levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance tended to deviate from colleagues’ ratings.

Conclusions

Attachment styles in psychosis are observable characteristics that can be rated by mental health professionals, although length of time staff have known patients, as well as their own attachment styles are likely to influence perceptions.