Literature Review: Attachment-Based Therapy as an Active and Preventative Treatment Modality against Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) for Adult-Child Caregivers of Alzheimer’s and Dementia Patients
The battle against alcohol use disorder (AUD) continues despite various treatments and interventions aimed at recovery. Current treatment approaches for AUD are dominated by short-term, symptom-focused methods such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing (National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, 2022). Research has shown that individuals suffering from prolonged and unrelenting grief, such as adult-child caregivers for individuals with Alzheimer’s or Dementia, are more vulnerable to developing addictions like AUD (Caparrós & Masferrer, 2021). Furthermore, insecure attachment styles, particularly fearful-avoidant and dismissive-avoidant, are closely linked to AUD (Vungkhanching et al., 2004). This review will explore the potential of utilizing attachment-based therapy as both an active and preventative treatment modality for adult-child caregivers of Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients.
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