Attachment style classification and posttraumatic stress disorder in former prisoners of war

M Dieperink; J Leskela; P Thuras; B Engdahl

doi:10.1037/0002-9432.71.3.374

Attachment style classification and posttraumatic stress disorder in former prisoners of war

Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2001 Jul;71(3):374-8. doi: 10.1037/0002-9432.71.3.374.

Authors

M Dieperink¹, J Leskela, P Thuras, B Engdahl

Affiliation

¹ Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN 55417, USA.

PMID: 11495340
DOI: 10.1037/0002-9432.71.3.374

Abstract

Adult attachment style and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology were investigated in 107 former prisoner of war veterans. Those with secure attachment styles scored significantly lower on measures of PTSD than did those with insecure styles, and attachment style was a stronger predictor of PTSD symptom intensity than was trauma severity. The suggested association between attachment style and PTSD's development and persistence are discussed in relation to research and clinical practice.

MeSH terms

Aged
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Object Attachment*
Prisoners / psychology*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / diagnosis
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / epidemiology
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Veterans / psychology
Warfare*