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  • Title: [Affective facial behavior of patients with anxiety disorders during the adult attachment interview: a pilot study].
    Author: Buchheim A, Benecke C.
    Journal: Psychother Psychosom Med Psychol; 2007 Aug; 57(8):343-7. PubMed ID: 17377891.
    Abstract:
    In this study we examined for the first time the difference between patients with an anxiety disorder and healthy controls in their attachment representation and facial affective behavior during the activation of the attachment system. 13 female patients und 14 healthy women were administered with the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Facial affective behavior during 6 selected questions of the AAI was coded using the Emotional-Facial-Action-Coding-System (EMFACS). As expected patients with an anxiety disorder, especially panic disorders, were classified significantly more often as insecure-preoccupied with a high proportion of unresolved loss. Against our assumption anxiety patients, independent of their attachment category, did not differ in their facial affective behavior from the control group. A group comparison taking into account diagnosis and attachment status showed that duchenne smile (happiness) was significantly predominant in control subjects classified as secure. Attachment security in healthy subjects, characterized by an overall valuing of positive or negative attachment experiences and coherent discourse in the AAI, was associated with positive facial affectivity. In contrast insecure anxiety patients could be characterized by showing social smile when talking e. g. about former separation experiences from their attachment figures mostly in an incoherent manner. This could be interpreted as a self-regulating defense. Limitations of the study are the small sample size and the heterogeneous clinical group of anxiety disorders.
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