Representations of Attachment Security in the Bird's Nest Drawings of Clients with Substance Abuse Disorders

Abstract

This article presents the results of an exploratory study of the graphic indicators in drawings by patients with substance abuse disorders. The Bird's Nest Drawing (BND) (Kaiser, 1996), an assessment task previously devised to elicit pictorial representations of attachment security, was used to examine attachment patterns of a sample of volunteers (N=70) from a Veterans' Administration hospital. A group of patients with diagnosed substance abuse disorders (n=43) and a comparison group with no known history of substance abuse (n=27) completed a relationship questionnaire to establish their attachment classification, a brief demographic questionnaire, and a BND. Results showed that those with substance abuse diagnoses were more likely to have insecure attachment and used less color than those in the comparison group. In addition, those in the comparison group tended to more often use green as the dominant color. The comparison group had a higher proportion of securely attached individuals, and demographics showed that they were more likely to be married. Results of the study, implications for practice, and suggestions for future research are discussed with an emphasis on substance abuse relational patterns and the recovery process.