Attachment Theory and Physical Well-Being

Background. In recent decades, attachment theory has shown significant convergent validity with medical and biological fields, as exemplified by an extensive number of interdisciplinary studies devoted to a complex and controversial problem: the relationship between interpersonal and somatic disorders, which is rarely covered in Russian scientific periodicals. Objectives. The aim is to analyze and summarize the results of recent research on the relationship between unsafe attachment styles and their long-term negative effects on physical well-being and health behaviours. Methods. Analysis of scientific research, preference was given to frequently cited meta-analytical and experimental works, reputable scientific publications with a large impact factor, published mainly before 2000, taken from large, international scientific repositories (ScienceDirect, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, PubMed). As a result, of the literature search, 92 publications were found (85 in English and 7 in Russian). After applying the research selection criteria, 50 publications were included in the final qualitative analysis. Results. Unsafe internal attachment patterns have a negative impact on the development of a wide range of somatic pathologies, primarily cardiovascular and immune systems, and impaired functioning of the HPA axis, mediated by associative anxiety. In addition, unsafe attachment types are found to be associated with preventive, sexual, and eating behaviours that reduce quality of life and increase vulnerability to the development of associated pathology. Conclusions. The studies presented in the narrative review strongly indicate the negative impact of unsafe attachment styles on physical health, through ineffective psycho-physioregulatory mechanisms that contribute to the accumulation of allostatic stress, disruption of psycho-neuro-endocrine-immunological relationships, ineffective disease management, and a tendency to risk behaviour.