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Attachment and Behavioral Addictions

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Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions

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Abstract

Attachment can be defined as a bond that is established between the child and a specific person, resulting in a search for proximity and continuous contact over time. This would contribute to the physical and psychological survival of the subject, providing the person with a secure way of knowing the world and allowing them to form internal representation models that structure their link with the world and with the significant others. Ainsworth identified three types of attachment: secure attachment, insecure avoidant attachment, and insecure anxious-ambivalent attachment, which are established in infancy and remain stable throughout life. The type and quality of this early bonding has later repercussions on the individual’s mental, behavioral, and social health. Moreover, there is evidence that insecure attachment is related to behavioral addictions (gambling disorder, sex addiction, social media addiction, video game addiction, emotional dependency, etc.) and substance addictions.

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Abbreviations

DSM-5:

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.)

ED:

Eating disorders

ICD - 11:

International Classification of Diseases (11th ed.)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain

    Ana Estévez, Laura Macía, Janire Momeñe & Nerea Etxaburu

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  1. Ana Estévez
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  2. Laura Macía
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  3. Janire Momeñe
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  4. Nerea Etxaburu
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Correspondence to Ana Estévez .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Westminster, London, UK

    Vinood B. Patel

  2. Dept of Nutrition & Dietetics, King's College London, London, UK

    Victor R. Preedy

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Estévez, A., Macía, L., Momeñe, J., Etxaburu, N. (2022). Attachment and Behavioral Addictions. In: Patel, V.B., Preedy, V.R. (eds) Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67928-6_7-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67928-6_7-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-67928-6

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