The Effectiveness of Object Relations Psychotherapy on Insecure Attachment Styles of 25-30-year-old Women with Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is one of the common and debilitating psychiatric disorders, which includes different aspects of a person's personal, family and social life.The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of object relations psychotherapy on insecure attachment Styles of 25-30-year-old women with bipolar disorder.

This research was a semi-experimental type with a pre-test-post-test design and a 2-month follow-up, along with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all women with bipolar disorder hospitalized in Isfahan psychiatric hospitals in 1402-1401. Among the patients referred to Modares Psychiatric Hospital, Isfahan, 40 women with bipolar disorder were selected using a random method and based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and were randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups (n=20). The research tool was Hazen and Shaver (1987) attachment style questionnaire. The experimental group was exposed to 16 sessions of 45-minute object relations psychotherapy based on a master protocol, while the control group was on the waiting list. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23 statistical software and variance analysis with repeated measurements.
 

The results of the data analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the adjusted averages of attachment variables, avoidant insecure attachment and ambivalent insecure attachment in the experimental group after the implementation of the intervention, and this difference continued until the follow-up stage (P<0.01).

Considering the effectiveness of object relations psychotherapy on insecure attachment patterns, this treatment method can be used to improve patients with bipolar disorder.