Attachment styles and outcomes of a group intervention for African American women with a history of intimate partner violence and suicidal behavior

The purpose of this paper was to determine the influence of attachment styles of women who have experienced IPV and suicidal behavior on outcome in a 10 week intervention. Intimate partner violence (IPV) and suicide-related behaviors are increasingly significant social problems. Attachment, IPV, self-esteem, social support, suicidal behavior, depression and hopelessness were examined along a social and contextual continuum. Results confirm that secure, fearful, and dismissing attachment styles correlate with perceived social support. It was also found that participation in the Grady Nia Project Group Intervention led to increased self-esteem, decreased levels of suicidality, decreased levels of depression, and decreased hopelessness. It was hypothesized that attachment style would predict individuals outcome variables. However, no significant results were seen regarding attachment style and outcome variables