Attachment-informed Care in a Primary Care Setting

No child grows up without an attachment pattern based on early relationships with caregiver figures. About 40% of the United States population experiences insecure attachment in childhood. When this pattern endures, it can be expressed as anxiety, depression, somatization, or illness. This article offers a framework for understanding secure and insecure attachment and suggests new strategies for helping primary care patients. The BATHE model, a therapeutic intervention for any patient with emotional and interpersonal difficulties, is described. With an attachment-informed perspective, advanced practice nurses may positively impact the quality of the patient-provider relationship, while promoting the patient's health and well-being.