The purpose: of this study was to look for effects of attachment styles for emotional reacting with depression in 117 lung cancer patients awaiting surgery and in 112 healthy subjects.
Material and methods: All subjects were classified according to their attachment style (secure, avoidant, ambivalent) assessed by means of the instrument based on Hazan and Shaver's (1987) descriptions of how people typically feel in close relationships. The Beck Depression Inventory was used to measure depression. Clinical group differed neither in age t(227)=0,32 p>0,7 (mean for controls 58,59; mean for clinicals 58,97) nor in sex chi2 (1)= 0,248 p>0,6 (29 females in clinicals and 31 in controls; 88 males in clinicals and 81 in controls). The groups did not differ in education years t(225)=0,947 p>0,3. The groups did not differ in the attachment styles chi2 (2)= 4,20 p>0,7. Manova variance analysis revealed significant main effect of group factor F(1,217)= 60,5 p< 0,005, higher depression in cancer patients (mean= 15,37) than in controls (mean 6,50); significant main effect of attachment style factor F(1,217) = 7,14 p< 0,002, higher depression in the anxious-ambivalent subjects (mean= 13,65) than in the secure ones (mean= 8,15); significant interaction between two factors F(1,217)= 5,23 p< 0,007, higher depression in the attachment styles in lung cancer patients (secure 10,76; avoidant 14,27; ambivalent 21,04) than in controls (secure 5,5; avoidant 7,75; ambivalent 6,27). Correlational analysis indicated that the secure style is favourable for weaker depression of patients (Pearson's r= -0,27 p< 0,01), but the anxious-ambiwalent style for stronger depression (Pearson's r= 0,43 p< 0,01). The avoidant style did not correlate significantly with depression neither in healthy (Pearson's r= 0,07 p> 0,1) nor affected by the disease subjects (Pearson's r= 0,01 p> 0,1).
Conclusions: the secure or the avoidant style may protect lung cancer subjects before operation from excessive reacting with depression but the anxious-ambivalent style may be a risk factor for maladaptive emotional reacting with depression.