Integrated Attachment Theory
Attachment Disorder
What this study involves
The registry does not currently label this study as recruiting. Ask about its status before planning a screening visit.
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Age range
- 18 years - 65 years
- Sex eligible
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Participants
- 24 Estimated
These are starting points, not an eligibility decision. The research team must review the full requirements.
About the research
This pilot randomized waitlist-controlled study will evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effects of a 12-week Integrated Attachment Theory (IAT) psychoeducational coaching program in adults ages 18-65 with an insecure attachment pattern identified through study screening.
Eligible participants will be randomized 1:1 to immediate IAT or a 12-week waitlist followed by IAT. The immediate group will complete in-person Boston University assessments before and after IAT; the waitlist group will complete assessments at baseline, after the 12-week waiting period, and after subsequently completing IAT.
The primary objectives are to determine whether the study procedures and intervention are feasible and to estimate the magnitude and variability of pre/post changes. The investigators hypothesize that IAT will be associated with improvement in attachment-related patterns, emotion regulation, interpersonal functioning, and well-being, together with changes in physiological and cortical responses during attachment-related emotion regulation compared with the waitlist period.
Who may be able to participate?
The list below is the sponsor’s full registry wording. It can include conditions, prior treatment, test results and other requirements. A match in search does not mean you qualify.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Speak and read English sufficiently to complete study questionnaires and the IAT program
- Meets the PDS attachment-style eligibility criterion for insecure attachment
- Able and willing to attend required in-person Boston University (BU) research visits
- Able and willing, if assigned, to participate in the 12-week remote IAT program.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Self-reported neurological disorder or condition
- Self-reported psychiatric/mental-health disorder
- Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) total score \>14
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) total score \>14
- Failure to meet the PDS attachment-style eligibility criterion
- Inability to complete required study procedures
- A safety concern that makes participation inappropriate.
Treatment, groups and participation
The registry may describe treatments and study duration without a complete visit calendar. Ask the study team for the exact schedule, procedures, risks, costs and alternatives. Keep your usual care plan unless your treating clinician tells you otherwise.
- Assignment
- Random assignment
- Masking
- No masking
Immediate Integrated Attachment Theory (IAT)
Participants randomized to this arm will immediately receive the 12 week IAT intervention.
Behavioral: IAT
Waitlist followed by IAT
Participants randomized to this arm will be put on a 12 week waitlist and after will receive the IAT intervention.
Behavioral: IAT
IAT BEHAVIORAL
IAT provides12 consecutive weekly remote Zoom sessions delivered by Personal Development School (PDS). Each session lasts approximately 2.5 hours with about 90 minutes of teaching plus 1 hour of supervised support. Participants will work in small breakout rooms with two participants per room during the support portion. The 12-week curriculum addresses core beliefs, relationship needs, emotional/nervous-system patterns, communication, boundaries, and behaviors. Participants will also complete approximately 10 minutes of daily skills practice/homework.
What researchers are measuring
Outcome measures describe what is being studied. They are not proof that a treatment works.
Primary measures
Feasibility of IAT intervention
Time frame: baseline through 12 weeks
Feasibility will be assessed using intervention and study completion. The number and percentage of participants assigned to IAT who complete the 12-week IAT program and the corresponding post-intervention research assessment will be calculated. Higher completion/retention rates will indicate greater feasibility.
Change in attachment
Time frame: baseline and 12 weeks
Attachment will be assessed using the self-report Personal Development School (PDS) Attachment-Style Questionnaire administered at baseline and again at the post-intervention assessment. The questionnaire characterizes participants' attachment patterns, including secure and insecure attachment styles. Change from baseline to 12 weeks will be evaluated, with movement toward greater attachment security interpreted as improvement.
Secondary measures
Change in emotion regulation, measured by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-36)
Time frame: baseline and 12 weeks
Emotion regulation will be assessed using the 36-item self-report Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-36). Items are rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (almost never) to 5 (almost always). The total score ranges from 36 to 180. Higher scores indicate greater difficulties with emotion regulation; therefore, a decrease in score from baseline indicates improvement in emotion regulation.
Change in interpersonal functioning, measured by the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-32 (IIP-32)
Time frame: baseline and 12 weeks
Interpersonal functioning will be assessed using the 32-item self-report Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, Short Form (IIP-32). Items are rated from 0 (not at all) to 4 (very much) and assess difficulties across eight interpersonal domains. Higher scores indicate greater interpersonal difficulties; therefore, a decrease from baseline indicates improvement in interpersonal functioning.
Change in well-being, measured by the WHO-5 Well-Being Index
Time frame: baseline and 12 weeks
Well-being will be assessed using the 5-item self-report World Health Organization 5 (WHO-5) Well-Being Index. Each item is rated from 0 to 5. Raw scores range from 0 to 25 and are multiplied by 4 to yield a score from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate better well-being; therefore, an increase from baseline indicates improvement.
Review the complete result tables and limitations in the official record.
Open official results ↗Research locations (1)
The overall study status and a local site’s status can differ. Confirm that location’s availability before traveling.
1 locations
Boston University Center for Life Science & EngineeringBoston, Massachusetts, United StatesStatus unknown
Study team and timeline
- Lead sponsor
- Boston University Charles River Campus
- Study start
- 2026-12 Estimated
- Primary completion
- 2027-12 Estimated
- Study completion
- 2027-12 Estimated
- First posted
- Nov 6, 2026 Actual
- Last updated
- Nov 10, 2026 Actual
Official study contacts
Official study title
Integrated Attachment Theory
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Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Information is submitted by sponsors and investigators. NLM does not approve the safety or science of all listed studies. Registry disclaimer.
Retrieved: Nov 11, 2026 · Last registry update: Nov 10, 2026