Life experiences, Engagement , Attachment and Negative Symptoms

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Life experiences, engagement with services, attachment and negative symptoms: a cross sectional and a 6 month follow up study.

• IRAS ID

  237146

• Contact name

  Isabelle Butcher

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Manchester

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 7 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Schizophrenia is a global health problem, and it is estimated that 1% of the population will experience symptoms of schizophrenia in their lifetime (McGrath, et al., 2008). Individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia experience positive and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms are those attributes that are present in addition to normal functioning and include delusions and hallucinations. Negative symptoms are a deficit in normal behaviour. They reduce the richness of life. People experience a flattening of their emotions, they lose their 'get up and go.’ The drive to do things is also affected so they become apathetic. Experiencing these symptoms can make it difficult for individuals to engage with family, friends, and health services.

  Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969) explains how the relationship between infant and caregiver can shape an individual's behaviour in adult relationships.

  Attachment theory commonly categorises individuals as having three different types of attachment style. Secure attachment develops as a result of the experience of supportive and responsive caregiving and results in the individual developing a positive view of their self and positive expectations about how other people will behave towards them in relationships. However individuals who experienced emotional and physical neglect in childhood are said to develop insecure attachment styles of which there are two types; insecure anxious attachment and insecure avoidant attachment.

  Research to date suggests that the experience of trauma and specific attachment styles may play a role in predicting negative symptoms. Additional factors that may play a role in the relationship between trauma, attachment and negative symptoms may include, gender, engagement with services and duration of schizophrenia symptoms.

  This study seeks to examine the association between trauma, attachment style, engagement with services and negative symptoms in both a cross sectional and, in a 6-month follow up study of individuals with first episode psychosis.

• REC name

  Social Care REC

• REC reference

  18/IEC08/0003

• Date of REC Opinion

  1 Mar 2018

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion