Comparison of Attachment Styles of Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder and Individuals with Obesity.

Objective: The aim of this study is to identify the attachment style displayed by obese individuals and to compare it with the attachment style of individuals diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD) and a healthy control group.

Method: A total of 201 participants were included in the study, consisting of 66 individuals diagnosed with obesity, 62 diagnosed with OUD and 73 healthy controls. Sociodemographic Data Form and Adult Attachment Style Scale were administered to all participants, the Addiction Profile Index (API) was administered to participants diagnosed with OUD and the Yale Food Addiction Scale was administered to those diagnosed with obesity.

Results: The results of the study revealed that the attachment styles of individuals diagnosed with obesity showed a similar distribution to those diagnosed with OUD, and the distribution of attachment styles in both groups was found to be different from that of the healthy control group. The mean scores for ambivalent/anxious attachment style and secure attachment style were found to be similar for the obesity group and the OUD group, while the OUD group had significantly higher avoidant attachment score. The avoidant attachment style score of OUD group increase as the severity of dependency increases. Additionally, 42.4% of the group was found to be food addicted, and in this group, the mean scores for ambivalent/ anxious attachment style were found to be significantly higher.

Conclusion: In the study, significant similarities were obtained in terms of attachment styles among participants diagnosed with obesity and OUD. The differentiation of these similarities from the control group has increased the strength of the study.