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Improving Patient Treatment with Attachment Theory pp 75–91Cite as

Adaptation to Cancer from the Perspective of Attachment Theory

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Abstract

While it seems obvious that having cancer is highly demanding and stressful, most patients actually report relatively low levels of distress after they are diagnosed with cancer or are distressed for only a relatively short time (Helgeson et al. 2004; Henselmans et al. 2010; Hinnen et al. 2008). Still, large variations in stress responses can be seen among people with cancer, and a substantial subgroup may show considerable and enduring levels of physical and emotional stress (Mitchell et al. 2011), especially at the end of life (Gao et al. 2010). In recent years scholars and researchers alike have turned to attachment theory to understand these variations in stress responses. In this chapter the literature and utility of attachment theory to understand individual differences in adaptation to cancer will be described.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Editor’s note: For comparison to other discussions in this book, the avoidant group in the present study is similar to the dismissing attachment style discussed elsewhere, whereas the anxious/dependent group in the present style is similar to a group that combines preoccupied and fearful/disorganized attachment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Psychology and Hospital Psychiatry, MC Slotervaart Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Chris Hinnen PhD

  2. Health Psychology Section, Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Chris Hinnen PhD

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  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Mount Sinai Hosp. , Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Jonathan Hunter

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Mount Sinai Hosp. , Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Robert Maunder

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Hinnen, C. (2016). Adaptation to Cancer from the Perspective of Attachment Theory. In: Hunter, J., Maunder, R. (eds) Improving Patient Treatment with Attachment Theory. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23300-0_6

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