Pathological addictions, including those related to substances and the new forms of behavioral addictions, represent one of the most pressing challenges for public health today. These phenomena can only be understood by considering the family context. Attachment styles, through which emotional regulation models and relational expectations are formed early in life, constitute a crucial factor of vulnerability or protection.
Scientific literature (Bianchi et al., 2005; Fischer-Grote et al., 2019; Sohn et al., 2019) confirms that loneliness, low social support, and family difficulties strongly influence the propensity to develop addictive behaviors, particularly during adolescence, a critical phase in the process of emancipation from the parental nucleus.
This study, conducted by the Addiction Services Unit of Augusta (Ser.T, ASP SR), explores the link between attachment styles and addictions, highlighting two privileged contexts of intervention: schools and prisons. In schools, prevention programs focused on emotional awareness and the conscious use of smartphones were implemented, with positive results in reducing psychological distress and the use of the device as a dysfunctional coping strategy.
In the prison context, individual and group psychological interventions were carried out with inmates affected by addictions. The FACES-IV test was used to investigate the quality of family relationships and underlying attachment styles. The results highlighted how affective fragilities, often denied or not elaborated, contributed to risky behaviors that led to involvement in the penal system. Furthermore, a significant connection emerged between problematic smartphone use, difficulties in emotion regulation, and the same dysfunctional attachment models observed in inmates.
In conclusion, school-based prevention and prison rehabilitation must be seen as complementary stages of a single process: intervening early to reduce risks while simultaneously transforming vulnerability into a resource to foster resilience, belonging, and social reintegration.