Connection between attachment representation and mental disorder

This study examines the relationships between different dimensions of attachment representations in adolescents and externalising and internalising problem behaviour. Of particular interest for this study are unprocessed, traumatic experiences that could not be integrated into the attachment system and thus lead to a disorganised attachment representation. Although there have been studies in this area with children and adolescents, the correlations have not yet been examined using a clinical sample of adolescents. A narrative instrument, the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP), was used to assess attachment representations in adolescents.