The relationship between attachment styles and childhood trauma: a transgenerational perspective - a controlled study of patients with psychiatric disorders

Aims and objectives. This study had two aims. The first aim was to compare attachment styles and traumatic childhood experiences of women with psychiatric disorders and their children to a control group. The second aim was to determine the relationship between attachment styles and traumatic childhood experiences both in mothers and their children. Background. According to attachment theories, trauma in an early relationship initiates a developmental cascade in which insecure attachments may occur. Design. A cross-sectional, descriptive study which, employed a case-control design, was performed between May 2013-March 2014. Methods. This study was conducted in 63 women with psychiatric disorders and their children. The control group consisted of 63 women without any psychiatric disorders and their children. Data were collected using questionnaire forms, including the Adult Attachment Style Scale and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire for both mothers and children. Descriptive statistics, a Pearson correlation and comparative statistics were used to analyse data. Results. The childhood trauma scores of both the women with psychiatric disorders and their children were higher than the control group scores. Compared to the control group, the mothers with psychiatric disorders and their children were found to have less secure attachment styles. It was determined that the mothers and children with insecure attachment were more likely to have been abused. Conclusion. These results point to a relationship between trauma in childhood and attachment style. They also suggest that this relationship may undergo intergenerational transfer. Relevance to clinical practice. This study contributes to the existing literature on the relationship between childhood traumas and attachment. Psychiatric nurses should focus not only on psychiatric disorders but also on the difficulties a patient faces regarding being a parent.