Attachment Style and Chronic Pain Relationship

One of psychological mediators I want to highlight today that has an association with chronic pain (neuroplastic symptoms) is attachment style. Attachment style reflects how you behave in relationships and is based on the emotional connections you formed as an infant with your primary caregivers. There are four main attachment styles. 1- Secure 2-Pre-occupied (Anxious) 3-Dismissive (Avoidant) 4-Disorganized (Fearful-Avoidant). I won’t go into detail on these 4 attachment styles today but essentially the pre-occupied, dismissive, and disorganized ones result from insecure attachment as a child to a parent and can now play out in current life situations, relationships, and what we’re here to talk about: neuroplastic symptoms.

This recent 2025 study done in South Africa  looked at 2371 people (median age 23 years, well-educated, primarily female (74%) cohort with a predominantly middle-to-high socioeconomic status) and the relationship between attachment style and chronic pain. In this population, the researchers noted “we found a higher than typically reported prevalence of chronic pain (27%).” Then they tested and looked at attachment styles of these people with chronic pain (neuroplastic symptoms). Here’s what they found and stated:

“Compared to the secure attachment style, all insecure attachment styles were associated with increased chronic pain presence (secure: 23%; dismissing: 31%, preoccupied: 42%, fearful: 49%). Of note, the presence of chronic pain was more than double in individuals with a fearful attachment style compared to securely attached individuals. These data contribute to the emerging idea that a significant and clinically relevant relationship exists between attachment style and chronic pain.”

So we can see from the data here and other previous studies as well, that insecure attachment is related to neuroplastic symptoms. It makes complete sense as attachment style is about the brain and it’s early learning resulting in current beliefs, emotions, actions, and thinking around the style we have learned. The good news is attachment style can be changed just like neuroplastic symptoms can be changed. You can absolutely learn to move towards a secure attachment style, which is moving away from the internal perception of threat and danger and moving towards that internal knowing, believing, feeling, and acting from safety and internal security. Reach out if you need help on your journey out of neuroplastic symptoms and how to move towards secure attachment.