Insecure attachment style and cumulative traumatic life events in patients with somatoform pain disorder: A cross-sectional study

Abstract Objective Current models assume somatoform pain disorder (SPD) to be the result of a complex interaction between bio- and psychosocial factors, but the etiology is still not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of attachment style and the frequency of traumatic life events, especially childhood adversities, in patients with SPD compared to healthy controls. Methods We compared 65 patients with SPD (confirmed by Structured Clinical Interview, SCID-I) to 65 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. The following questionnaires were employed: Relationship Scale Questionnaire (RSQ), Essen Trauma Inventory (ETI), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15). A logistic regression analysis was used to identify the association between SPD and psychological factors. Results Insecure attachment was significantly more prevalent (60%) in patients with SPD compared to healthy subjects (14%; p  Conclusions The high predictive value of insecure attachment style and cumulative traumatic events emphasize their importance as risk factors of SPD.