Social support, attachment, and psychopathology in high risk formerly maltreated adults.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among social support, attachment security, and psychopathology in an adult sample of high risk abuse survivors. Attachment security was conceptualized in terms of two underlying dimensions, the working models of self and other. METHOD: Sixty-six participants (24 men and 42 women) who met conditions for physical or sexual abuse were recruited from the greater Boston area. They completed the "Record of Maltreatment Experiences." the "Relationship Scales Questionnaire," the "Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire," and multiple measures of psychopathology. RESULTS: When multiple risk and protective factors were examined concurrently (e.g., social support, attachment, abuse history, IQ, SES), a negative view of self (one of the attachment poles) was the strongest predictor of overall psychopathology. Social support did not emerge as a significant direct predictor of psychopathology, once the effects of negative view of self were accounted for. However, among participants low on social support, in comparison to those who are high, a negative view of self was more highly correlated with some psychopathology measures. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that among maltreatment survivors, negative view of self emerges as the most substantial predictor of psychopathology when examined in combination with other relevant risk factors.

Relationship between attachment style and posttraumatic stress symptomatology among adults who report the experience of childhood abuse.

This study examines the relationship between adult attachment style and posttraumatic stress symptomatology in a volunteer sample of adults who reported the experience of childhood abuse. Sixty-six individuals completed measures of abuse history, attachment style, and posttraumatic stress symptomatology. Results indicated that 76% of participants endorsed one of the three insecure attachment styles (dismissing, fearful, or preoccupied). Analyses of variances revealed that those who displayed fearful and preoccupied attachment styles, which represent a negative view of the self, had the highest mean scores on posttraumatic symptoms. Correlational analyses revealed a significant positive relationship between negative view of self and posttraumatic stress symptomatology, but not between negative view of other and posttraumatic stress symptomatology. Regression analyses indicated that having a negative view of self was most highly associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms, followed by a history of physical abuse. The regression analysis further indicated that negative view of other was unrelated to posttraumatic stress symptoms.