Attachment Anxiety as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Interpersonal Trauma and Posttraumatic Symptomatology Among College Women

Abstract

The identification of variables that mediate the relationship between traumatic life events and posttraumatic symptomatology could help elucidate underlying causal mechanisms and improve therapeutic intervention offered to individuals suffering from posttraumatic stress. The authors examined whether adult attachment, as measured by Brennan, Clark, and Shaver's Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory, mediates the relationship between a broad range of traumatic life events and posttraumatic symptomatology. Participants were 224 ethnically diverse college women. Path analysis indicated that attachment anxiety partially mediated the link between intimate partner violence and posttraumatic symptomatology, as well as the link between adolescent or adult sexual victimization and posttraumatic symptomatology. Attachment avoidance, although associated with posttraumatic stress, did not mediate the relationship between traumatic life events and PTSD symptoms.

I Get No Respect: The Relationship Between Betrayal Trauma and Romantic Relationship Functioning

“…Not all traumas are experienced in the same way, nor do they manifest the same symptoms and reactions (see Green et al, 2000;McNally, 2007). For instance, the aftermath of a natural disaster can be quite different than the experience of interpersonal traumas, wherein the harm is at the hands of one or more potentially close individuals (Findling, Bratton, & Henson, 2006;Freyd, 1996;Sandberg, Suess, & Heaton, 2010). One theory of interpersonal traumas, betrayal trauma theory (BTT), describes the link between psychological outcomes and interpersonal trauma perpetrated by close significant others, such as a parent, care provider, or romantic partner (Freyd, 1994(Freyd, , 1996Freyd, DePrince, & Gleaves, 2007).…”

Effects of a Group-Based Intervention on Psychological Health and Perceived Parenting Capacity among Mothers Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV): A Preliminary Study

“…Attachment anxiety has been found to partly mediate the relationship between IPV and post-traumatic stress (Sandberg, Suess, & Heaton, 2010) and might play a part in the risk of developing PTSD and in the recovery process after PTSD (Declercq & Palmans, 2006;Markowitz, Milrod, Bleiberg, & Marshall, 2009) and in abused mothers' risk of revictimization (Alexander, 2009). Although the current study did not include any measure of attachment, the high level of interpersonal sensitivity on BSI could be seen as an indication of difficulties in trusting and relying on other people and warrant further inquiry.…”

Evaluating the Utility of MFT Models in the Treatment of Trauma: Implications for Affect Regulation

“…Extant literature highlights that responses to trauma can be as varied as the traumatic events themselves, which include chronic illness (Karademas 2011), natural disasters (Banford et al 2011), combat (Zohar et al 2009), interpersonal violence, rape and sexual abuse (Sandberg et al 2010), among myriad others. Whatever the event, trauma can be explained as a disruption in and disconnection from core beliefs about life and self (Herman 1992).…”