Kurt T. Rheinboldt, MSW, Health Education, University of Texas at Austin, 2100 San Jacinto Blvd, Bellmont Hall 222, Austin, TX 78712, 512-470-8469, kurt@kurtr.com and Fred L. Peterson, PhD, Child, Adolescent, and School Health, The University of Texas at Austin, 2100 San Jacinto Blvd, Bellmont Hall 222, Austin, TX 78712.

Attachment issues have received much research in the last two decades. This research has extended into how attachment dimensions relate to other behaviors. The authors of this study sought to examine the relationship of adult attachment styles to health risk behaviors, most notably alcohol, tobacco and drug use. Attachment has been shown to be highly related to relationship variables such as sexual behavior, as well as to a wider array of health behaviors, including eating disorders, alcohol, drugs and other risk behaviors. This research extends the authors’ previous research by incorporating measures designed to assess current relationship status and quality. This study employed the Experiences in Close Relationship Questionnaire – Revised (Fraley, Waller, and Brennan, 2000), an instrument which measures attachment along two dimensions, anxiety (alpha = .91) and avoidance (alpha = .94). The ECR-R was administered to more than 100 undergraduate students (in a major Southwestern university) in combination with questions excerpted from the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey (NCHRBS), developed by the Centers for Disease Control. The NCHRBS was adapted from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. YRBS items have been shown to have “moderate” to “substantial” reliability (Brener, et al, 2002). Analysis of data collected revealed significant relationships between dimensions of attachment and a variety of health risk behaviors, including alcohol and illicit drug use. Results have implications for primary prevention as well as with at-risk groups, such as adolescents in and emerging out of institutional and foster care, and adolescents who witnessed parental discord.

Learning Objectives:

• 1) define the four attachment categories from the model posed by Kim Bartholomew.
• 2) recognize how these attachment style categories can influence health risk behaviors.
• 3) identify possible mechanisms which produce different attachment styles.
• 4) delineate strategies for primary and secondary interventions with at-risk populations.

Keywords: Health Behavior, College Students

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.