Investigation of intimacy fear in terms of attachment styles of adults showing borderline personality patterns

The main purpose of this research is to examine the fear of intimacy in terms of attachment styles in people with borderline personality pattern according to DSM-V. In addition, another aim of the research is to examine whether fear of intimacy, attachment styles and borderline personality differ according to demographic variables. The research is carried out within the scope of the relational scanning model, one of the scanning models. The population of the research consists of adults between the ages of 18-45 living in Turkey, and the sample consists of 382 volunteer adults using the simple random sampling method. "Three-Dimensional Attachment Styles Scale", "Turkish version of the Borderline Personality Questionnaire" and "Fear of Intimacy Scale" were used to collect data in the study. The data obtained was analyzed with the SPSS 26 package program. According to the research findings, the correlation analysis results between intimacy fear and attachment styles' sub-dimensions reveal a significant negative relationship between intimacy fear and secure attachment, avoidant attachment, and anxious-ambivalent attachment styles. Additionally, significant relationships were found between the sub-dimensions of imaginary intimacy fear, imaginary openness, past period intimacy fear, and attachment styles. Concerning the correlation analysis results between intimacy fear and borderline personality, no significant relationship was observed between intimacy fear and the total score of the borderline personality scale. However, significant relationships were identified among specific sub-dimensions, including impulsivity, fear of abandonment, relationships, self-image, intense anger, and psychosis-like symptoms. Regarding the correlation analysis findings between attachment styles and borderline personality, a negative relationship was found between secure attachment style and the total score of the borderline personality scale, while an significant relationship was detected between avoidant attachment style and borderline personality traits. Various significant relationships were observed for anxious-ambivalent attachment style, though no significant relationships were found with abandonment and emptiness feelings. Analysis based on gender, education level, and age variables indicated a significant differentiation in intimacy fear and attachment styles.