Attachment in families with Huntington's disease. A paradigm in clinical genetics

Patient Educ Couns. 2006 Oct;63(1-2):246-54. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2005.11.019. Epub 2006 Jan 20.

Abstract

Objective: Based on the premise that attachment experiences lead to a working model for social relationships throughout life, this study investigates if there is a difference between adult attachment representations in individuals who were brought up by a parent with Huntington's disease (HD), compared to a non-clinical population. Specific events in the parents' disease process, especially those leading to trauma and loss will receive attention.

Methods: Using the Adult Attachment Interview, adult attachment representations were investigated in 32 unaffected adults at 50% risk for HD who were raised by an affected parent.

Results: We found a lower percentage of secure attachment representations, a higher percentage of preoccupied representations, and a higher percentage of unresolved/disorganized representations in our sample, compared to a non-clinical population. A relatively late start of the parent's HD career was associated with a secure adult attachment representation. Death of the HD parent before the child's 18th birthday was associated with an unresolved/disorganized adult attachment representation.

Conclusion: Growing up in a family where one of the parents has Huntington's disease appears to affect the offspring's adult attachment representation.

Practice implications: This study can be of relevance for genetic counselling, as well as for counselling and intervention in childrearing matters.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age of Onset
  • Attitude to Health*
  • Chi-Square Distribution
  • Child
  • Child of Impaired Parents / psychology*
  • Fear
  • Female
  • Genetic Counseling
  • Genetic Testing
  • Humans
  • Huntington Disease / genetics
  • Huntington Disease / psychology*
  • Inheritance Patterns / genetics
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Netherlands
  • Object Attachment*
  • Parent-Child Relations*
  • Psychology, Child
  • Risk Factors
  • Surveys and Questionnaires