The Role of Attachment Styles, Parental Bonding and Self Concept in Sexual Addiction

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Abstract

Introduction: Sexual addiction is a growing concern nowadays known as a serious disorder. In fact it is an intimacy disorder that is due to impaired early attachment and parental bonding experiences which are the two important factors that form people’s self concept. The present study aimed to investigate the role of attachment styles, parental bonding and self concept in sexual addiction and to access best predictor factors for discriminating sexual addicts from normal ones.
Method: The participants included 70 people (35 sexual addicts, 35 healthy persons), selected through convenient sampling method and matched according to sex, age and education. All participants completed the Sexual Addiction Scale, Hazan and Shaver Attachment Scale, Parental Bonding Scale and Pyryt and Mendaglio Self-Perception Survey. The obtained data was analyzed using ANOVA and Discriminant Analyze.
Results: Results of ANOVA revealed that sexual addicts and control group were significantly different in ambivalence attachment style, mother and father overprotection, and self concept. Also, Discriminant Analyze showed that mother and father overprotection and avoidance style are the best discriminators and predictors of sexual addiction. These predictors discriminated sexual addicts from control group in 72/90% of times.
Conclusion: Attachments disorders should be addressed in sexual addiction treatment.

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