The Link between Types of Attachment and Childhood Trauma

The study investigated the relationship between childhood trauma and types of attachment and the predictive role of childhood trauma on types of attachment. The sample was composed of 911 (492 female; 419 male) university students at Mugla Sitki Kocman University, in Turkey. Data were collected using the brief screening version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and Relationship Scales Questionnaire. Pearson product-moment correlation analysis was employed to search for relationship between childhood trauma and types of attachment; structural equation modeling was also used for explaining the predictive role of childhood trauma on types of attachment. It was found that the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and physical and emotional neglect subdimensions of childhood trauma were positively related to fearful, preoccupied, and dismissing attachment styles; whereas these same variables were negatively related to the secure attachment style. Results were discussed in the light of previous findings and in the context of childhood trauma and attachment styles. Further replications using larger samples should be conducted to explore the relationship between childhood trauma and attachment styles.