The effect of traumatic experiences on attachment styles
Abstract
Traumatic experiences are destructive experiences that affect individuals in their adulthood, damaging their sense of trust towards themselves, the world and other people, leading them to despair. This study aims to test the effect of childhood traumatic experiences on attachment styles in adulthood and to find out what kind of traumatic experiences explain the attachment styles to what extent. Relational survey method was used in the research and the data were analysed with structural equation modelling. The study group is 804 students aged 17-24. For data collection, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire developed by Bernstein et al. (1997) and Relationship Scales Questionnaire developed by Griffin and Bartholomew (1994) were used. The study has concluded that traumatic experiences have a negative and significant effect on secure attachment and a positive effect on fearful and preoccupied attachment, but they are not a significant predictor of dismissing attachment. As a result of the second model of the relationship between traumatic experiences and secure and insecure attachment dimensions, traumatic experiences have been found to have a negative significant effect on secure attachment but a positive significant effect on insecure attachment. With the third model, three types of traumatic experiences have been examined to explain the attachment styles. Physical, emotional neglect and abuse, and sexual abuse have predicted secure attachment in a negative significant way and insecure attachment style in a positive significant way. The study revealed the effect of childhood traumatic experiences on attachment styles.
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References
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