Attachment and Challenging Behaviors in Adults with Intellectual Disability: A Scoping Review

Background There is a high prevalence of challenging behaviors (CB) in adults with intellectual disability (ID), which lead to negative personal outcomes and diminished quality of life. Emerging evidence suggest attachment theory could be useful to address CB in adults with ID and lower the negative impact on their social environment. Methods A scoping review of empirical research on attachment and CB in adults with ID was carried out through Medline, Scopus and Psycinfo databases. One thousand and thirty-five articles were found, 58 articles were screened and seven were included. Results There was very limited research on this topic. The main findings were that attachment problems could be positively linked to CB but also to psychological difficulties such as depressive affects and maladaptive coping. Furthermore, it seems that attachment-based interventions may represent an evidence-based strategy to help reduce CB and improve psychological functioning in people with ID and sensorial impairments. Conclusions Although preliminary data suggest association between insecure attachment and CB in adults with ID, further research is needed in order to validate and specify these associations. Clinical and empirical future directions are discussed.