Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/2440/106900
Citations | ||
Scopus | Web of Science® | Altmetric |
---|---|---|
?
|
?
|
Type: | Journal article |
Title: | Separation from parents during childhood trauma predicts adult attachment security and post-traumatic stress disorder |
Author: | Bryant, R. Creamer, M. O'Donnell, M. Forbes, D. Felmingham, K. Silove, D. Malhi, G. Van Hoof, M. McFarlane, A. Nickerson, A. |
Citation: | Psychological Medicine, 2017; 47(11):2028-2035 |
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
Issue Date: | 2017 |
ISSN: | 0033-2917 1469-8978 |
Statement of Responsibility: | R. A. Bryant, M. Creamer, M. O'Donnell, D. Forbes, K. L. Felmingham, D. Silove, G. Malhi, M. van Hoof, A. C. McFarlane and A. Nickerson |
Abstract: | Prolonged separation from parental support is a risk factor for psychopathology. This study assessed the impact of brief separation from parents during childhood trauma on adult attachment tendencies and post-traumatic stress.Children (n = 806) exposed to a major Australian bushfire disaster in 1983 and matched controls (n = 725) were assessed in the aftermath of the fires (mean age 7-8 years) via parent reports of trauma exposure and separation from parents during the fires. Participants (n = 500) were subsequently assessed 28 years after initial assessment on the Experiences in Close Relationships scale to assess attachment security, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was assessed using the PTSD checklist.Being separated from parents was significantly related to having an avoidant attachment style as an adult (B = -3.69, s.e. = 1.48, β = -0.23, p = 0.013). Avoidant attachment was associated with re-experiencing (B = 0.03, s.e. = 0.01, β = 0.31, p = 0.045), avoidance (B = 0.03, s.e. = 0.01, β = 0.30, p = 0.001) and numbing (B = 0.03, s.e. = 0.01, β = 0.30, p < 0.001) symptoms. Anxious attachment was associated with re-experiencing (B = 0.03, s.e. = 0.01, β = 0.18, p = 0.001), numbing (B = 0.03, β = 0.30, s.e. = 0.01, p < 0.001) and arousal (B = 0.04, s.e. = 0.01, β = 0.43, p < 0.001) symptoms.These findings demonstrate that brief separation from attachments during childhood trauma can have long-lasting effects on one's attachment security, and that this can be associated with adult post-traumatic psychopathology. |
Keywords: | Attachment childhood post-traumatic stress disorder separation |
Rights: | © Cambridge University Press 2017 |
DOI: | 10.1017/S0033291717000472 |
Grant ID: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1073041 |
Published version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0033291717000472 |
Appears in Collections: | Aurora harvest 3 Psychology publications |
Files in This Item:
There are no files associated with this item.
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.