Attachment style and interpersonal trauma in refugees.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Trauma Studies
• Attachment Theory

Background:

• Refugee experiences can erode trust and potentially damage attachment security.
• Attachment theories suggest prior adverse experiences may undermine secure attachment systems.
• Empirical testing of the link between refugee trauma and attachment styles is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between the nature of traumatic experiences in refugees and their attachment styles.
• To empirically test the hypothesis that refugee experiences damage attachment securities.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 134 treatment-seeking refugees.
• Assessed traumatic exposure using Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale.
• Assessed attachment style using the Experiences in Close Relationship Scale.

Main Results:

• Gender and severity of interpersonal trauma predicted avoidant attachment style (11% variance).
• Non-interpersonal trauma did not predict anxious or avoidant attachment.
• Neither gender nor trauma type predicted anxious attachment.

Conclusions:

• Interpersonal traumatic events, including torture, are associated with avoidant attachment in refugees.
• This supports attachment theories suggesting adverse experiences promote avoidance.
• This finding may highlight a key factor in refugee psychological distress.