The relation between insecure attachment and posttraumatic stress: Early life versus adulthood traumas.

Ogle, Christin M

Rubin, David C

Siegler, Ilene C

2019-06-22T21:37:51Z

2019-06-22T21:37:51Z

2015-07

2019-06-22T21:37:51Z

The present study examined the relations between insecure attachment and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among community-dwelling older adults with exposure to a broad range of traumatic events. Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance predicted more severe symptoms of PTSD and explained unique variance in symptom severity when compared to other individual difference measures associated with an elevated risk of PTSD, including NEO neuroticism and event centrality. A significant interaction between the developmental timing of the trauma and attachment anxiety revealed that the relation between PTSD symptoms and attachment anxiety was stronger for individuals with current PTSD symptoms associated with early life traumas compared to individuals with PTSD symptoms linked to adulthood traumas. Analyses examining factors that account for the relation between insecure attachment and PTSD symptoms indicated that individuals with greater attachment anxiety reported stronger physical reactions to memories of their trauma and more frequent voluntary and involuntary rehearsal of their trauma memories. These phenomenological properties of trauma memories were in turn associated with greater PTSD symptom severity. Among older adults with early life traumas, only the frequency of involuntary recall partially accounted for the relation between attachment anxiety and PTSD symptoms. Our differential findings concerning early life versus adulthood trauma suggest that factors underlying the relation between attachment anxiety and PTSD symptoms vary according to the developmental timing of the traumatic exposure. Overall our results are consistent with attachment theory and with theoretical models of PTSD according to which PTSD symptoms are promoted by phenomenological properties of trauma memories.

2014-45735-001

1942-9681

1942-969X

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/19026

eng

American Psychological Association (APA)

Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy

10.1037/tra0000015

Humans

Prognosis

Severity of Illness Index

Risk Factors

Regression Analysis

Longitudinal Studies

Memory

Object Attachment

Anxiety Disorders

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Psychiatric Status Rating Scales

Age Factors

Aging

Models, Psychological

Socioeconomic Factors

Middle Aged

Female

Male

Neuroticism

The relation between insecure attachment and posttraumatic stress: Early life versus adulthood traumas.

Journal article

324

332

4

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Duke

Psychology and Neuroscience

Duke Institute for Brain Sciences

University Institutes and Centers

Institutes and Provost's Academic Units

School of Medicine

Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine

Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Clinical Science Departments

Published

7