Adult Attachment and Early Parental Experiences in Patients With Crohn’s Disease

BackgroundCrohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic, relapsing and remitting inflammatory bowel disease. The relationship of attachment to the illness is considered to be bidirectional.ObjectiveThe authors investigated aspects of this bidirectional relationship.MethodA group of 102 patients with CD and 306 healthy subjects filled out the Attachment Style Questionnaire and the Parental Bonding Instrument.ResultsPatients with CD exhibit a predominantly insecure attachment and perceived their parents’ behaviors as characterized by low maternal care and high paternal overprotection.DiscussionThe evaluation of attachment style and early parental experiences in patients with CD may shed light on the bidirectional relationship between attachment and illness. These findings may confirm the bidirectional relationship between insecure attachment and chronic illness.