Childhood maltreatment, complex trauma symptoms, and unresolved attachment in an at-risk sample of adolescent mothers

Abstract

Associations between unresolved attachment, abuse history, and a wide range of trauma-related symptomatology were examined in an at-risk sample (N = 62). Fifty percent reported severe childhood physical and/or sexual abuse. An independent trauma interview elicited more reports of childhood sexual abuse than the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI); conversely, the AAI elicited more reports of physical abuse. Childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse, and general maltreatment were associated with unresolved status. Furthermore, sexual abuse history and general maltreatment predicted unresolved loss, suggesting that they adversely affected the integration of other emotional and/or traumatic experiences. Women classified as Unresolved reported higher levels of dissociation, confusion regarding self-identity, and relationship problems. Findings complement and extend empirical support for the theorized association between dissociative processes and unresolved attachment.

Attachment, Self-Esteem and Subjective Well-Being Among Survivors of Childhood Sexual Trauma

“…In the United States, nearly 30% of individuals who seek psychological services are survivors of childhood abuse (Dimitrova et al, 2009). Survivors who have experienced childhood sexual trauma, or any unwanted sexual act prior to the age of 18, are more likely to endorse a myriad of mental health symptomology than are individuals who do not have a history of childhood sexual trauma (Bailey et al, 2007). This symptomology can be consistent with psychological disorders such as PTSD, depression and Bipolar Disorder (Smith et al, 2011).…”

“…This is particularly true regarding the relationship between childhood maltreatment and interpersonal functioning (Bailey, Moran & Pederson, 2007). In an article assessing 62 women who became mothers during adolescence over a two-year period, results indicated that individuals who experienced sexual trauma during childhood also experienced emotional abuse or additional ATTACHMENT, SELF-ESTEEM AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING 55 traumatic experiences.…”

“…The experience of sexual trauma creates a rupture in the working model related to attachment. According to empirical research, individuals who experience childhood trauma are more likely to report attachment insecurity (Alexander, 2009;Bailey, Moran & Pederson, 2007). For example, Alexander (2009) surveyed 93 women survivors of childhood sexual abuse and found that childhood sexual trauma contributes to insecure attachment styles.…”

“…Childhood sexual trauma, defined as any unwanted sexual act that occurs prior to the age of 18 (Bailey, Moran & Pederson, 2007), can lead to a myriad of difficulties for survivors.…”

Affect dysregulation, psychoform dissociation, and adult relational fears mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and complex posttraumatic stress disorder independent of the symptoms of borderline personality disorder

“…maltreatment, family violence) consistently across numerous studies (Cloitre, Garvert, Brewin, Bryant, & Maercker, 2013; Cloitre, Garvert, Weiss, Carlson, & Bryant, 2014; Dorahy et al, 2014; Knefel et al, 2015; Knefel & Lueger-Schuster, 2013; Wolf et al, 2015). CPTSD as defined by DESNOS is theorized to represent the results of developmental adaptations to exposure to interpersonal trauma in developmentally sensitive periods, including altered emotion processing (Langevin, Hebert, & Cossette, 2015; Shields & Cicchetti, 1998), dissociative shifts in self-awareness and consciousness (Bailey, Moran, & Pederson, 2007; Lyons-Ruth, Dutra, Schuder, & Bianchi, 2006), and disruption of secure attachment working models (Madigan, Vaillancourt, McKibbon, & Benoit, 2012; Stronach et al, 2011). However, whether there is a specific linkage between exposure to potentially traumatic events in childhood and each of the proposed core features of CPTSD as defined by DESNOS has not been systematically investigated.…”