The Relationship between Attachment Styles and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Mediated by Guilt Feelings of Family Caregivers who are affected by Alzheimer’s: a Structural Model

The present study investigated the relationship between attachment styles and depression, anxiety, and stress mediated by guilt feelings of caregivers who were providing care for individuals with Alzheimer family members. To fulfill the stated goal 300 family and relative caregivers who were under coverage of Alzheimer’s Association in 2013 were selected by means of accessible sampling procedure and the following measure were given to them to complete: Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS), depression, anxiety and stress (DASS 21), and questionnaire of guilt feelings in care givers. analysis of data by means of structural equation modeling showed a direct significant relation between attachment styles and indices of depression, anxiety and stress. Secure attachment showed a negative significant correlation with depression, anxiety and stress, while avoidant and anxious attachment styles showed a positive significant relation with depression, anxiety, and stress. Guilt feeling had a significant impact on depression, anxiety, and stress of caregivers (p<0.01). Kinds of providing care as full time, part time were not statistically significant. Guilt feeling of subject mediated the relation between secure and anxious attachment styles with anxiety (p<0.01). Guilt feeling mediated the relation between attachment styles mental health of individuals.
Keyword: Attachment styles, Depression, Anxiety Stress, Guilt feeling