Unresolved attachment among immigrants: an analysis using the adult attachment projective.

Dutch and Belgian immigrants in California have a high rate of unresolved attachment status compared to nonimmigrant Californians, unrelated to their length of time in the United States, to their marriage status, or to their reasons for immigration. In this study, the author analyzes attachment at the representational level by comparing coherence in responses of 69 immigrants (29 men and 40 women) and 30 nonimmigrants (12 men and 18 women) to drawings in the Adult Attachment Projective (AAP; C. George & M. L. West, 2001; C. George, M. L. West, & O. Pettem, 1999). Analysis of variance indicates that being unresolved with regard to attachment is linked to greater perception of danger in general, and to a lower ability to resolve danger once perceived. Resolution of danger in story responses to AAP images shows that the immigrant group is most troubled by images of departure and isolation, but nonimmigrants are most disturbed by images of illness.