The relationships between family functioning and attachment orientations to post-traumatic stress symptoms among young adults who were evacuated from Gaza Strip settlements as adolescents

The Differential Effects of Insecure Attachment on Post-Traumatic Stress: A Systematic Review of Extant Findings and Explanatory Mechanisms

It is well-documented that insecure attachment poses substantial risks to post-trauma recovery. Although attachment anxiety reliably predicts and is associated with elevated post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), the attachment avoidance-PTSS link has been far less consistent. This suggests both attenuating and enhancing connections between attachment difficulties and post-trauma outcomes. The goal of this study is 2-fold: (a) to review and summarize extant evidence concerning the relation between insecure attachment and PTSS and (b) to review mechanism(s) underlying attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance that may explain the development of PTSS. Following a systematic review of the empirical literature investigating attachment, trauma, and post-trauma reactions, a total of 138 studies were identified and summarized. The review further identifies explanatory mechanisms underlying the association between insecure attachment and PTSS, including stress appraisals, cognitive factors, self-esteem, emotion regulation strategies, social factors, and trauma-specific factors (i.e., type of trauma, extreme stress). Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed.

Supportive Relationships in Children and Adolescents Facing Political Violence and Mass Disasters

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

We identify trends and gaps in the literature on the role of social support in the psychopathology and risky behavior of youths exposed to political violence and mass disasters. We also discuss the implications of recent research's findings and suggest directions for future research.

RECENT FINDINGS

Political violence and natural disasters inflict serious blows to adolescents' mental and physical health and may have reverberating, negative impacts throughout the nested social systems in which youths develop. However, many adolescents are not adversely affected, suggesting the presence of resilience. While the beneficial effects of social support from close others are well documented, along with situations under which perceived support may even increase stress, the exact mechanisms behind social support's protective effects have not been thoroughly studied. Different personality attributes and/or different concepts of the self may possibly contribute to-or harm-youths' resilience. There is considerable variability in research on adolescents' social support in the context of political violence and mass disasters, stressors that may erode social support. Thus, further investigation of social support's protective effects via longitudinal studies is highly important.

The links between adult attachment and post-traumatic stress: A systematic review

PURPOSE

The theory of attachment has informed our understanding of survival and well-being throughout the lifespan. There is a growing interest in the relationship between attachment and symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTS). Emerging evidence points to important links between attachment and PTS, yet current theoretical and clinical understandings of PTS symptoms and attachment remain relatively disparate. The current systematic review aimed to synthesize, describe, and critique evidence demonstrating the links between attachment and PTS in adults. It also aimed to explore whether the relationship between attachment and PTS differs according to the nature of the traumatic event.

METHODS

Searches were conducted using PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, Medline, and Google Scholar to identify empirical studies focusing on PTS in adults.

RESULTS

Twenty-one papers were identified. Attachment was shown to have moderating and mediating influences on the relationship between trauma and PTS. This varied according to the type of trauma, and how symptoms of PTS were reported across the different attachment styles. Methodological rigour varied across studies. Clinical and research implications are discussed, including the consideration of attachment security in assessment and formulation.

CONCLUSIONS

Although findings were mixed, this review suggests that there is an important link between attachment and PTS. It supports the current emerging evidence demanding the development of a more unified theoretical framework for attachment, types of trauma, and symptoms of PTS.

PRACTITIONER POINTS

The findings discussed in this review have important implications for the treatment of PTS symptoms. Consideration of attachment styles in formulations is likely to inform treatment plans. There is increasing evidence to suggest that assessing and accounting for attachment style in therapy may improve the chances of successful treatment.

DSM-5-based latent PTSD models: Assessing structural relations with GAD in Filipino post-relocatees

An increasing number of studies investigated the latent factor structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology following the new fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). To date, there is no consensus on the best representation of PTSD. This study examined six latent PTSD models in a sample of Filipino post-disaster relocatees (N = 523). Further investigation on the relationship of the best-fitting model to generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in the latent level was conducted. The seven-factor hybrid model consisting of intrusion, avoidance, negative affect, anhedonia, externalizing behaviors, anxious arousal, and dysphoric arousal, was the best fitting model. Latent associations between the factors in the hybrid model and GAD suggest there are core and transdiagnostic features of PTSD. These findings have implications for understanding the underlying mechanism of PTSD and can inform the development of trauma-related interventions, particularly among post-disaster relocatees.