TY - JOUR
T1 - Secondary traumatization and attachment among wives of former POWs
T2 - A longitudinal study
AU - Lahav, Yael
AU - Kanat-Maymon, Yaniv
AU - Solomon, Zahava
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Taylor & Francis.
PY - 2016/1/1
Y1 - 2016/1/1
N2 - The aim of the present study was to examine the directionality of the association between post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and attachment insecurities across time among indirect trauma survivors. Wives of former prisoners of war (ex-POWs), with and without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and comparable controls were assessed 30 (T1) and 38 (T2) years after the Yom Kippur War. As expected, wives of ex-POWs endorsed higher PTSS compared to wives of controls. Wives of ex-POWs with PTSD endorsed higher PTSS and higher attachment avoidance compared to wives of ex-POWs without PTSD and controls. There were significant associations between PTSS and attachment insecurities. Contrary to the hypothesis, the relationship between PTSS and attachment insecurities among wives of ex-POWs was unidirectional, with attachment anxiety at T1 predicting PTSS at T2, and not vice versa. Results indicate that attachment anxiety might act as a risk factor for secondary traumatic reactions.
AB - The aim of the present study was to examine the directionality of the association between post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and attachment insecurities across time among indirect trauma survivors. Wives of former prisoners of war (ex-POWs), with and without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and comparable controls were assessed 30 (T1) and 38 (T2) years after the Yom Kippur War. As expected, wives of ex-POWs endorsed higher PTSS compared to wives of controls. Wives of ex-POWs with PTSD endorsed higher PTSS and higher attachment avoidance compared to wives of ex-POWs without PTSD and controls. There were significant associations between PTSS and attachment insecurities. Contrary to the hypothesis, the relationship between PTSS and attachment insecurities among wives of ex-POWs was unidirectional, with attachment anxiety at T1 predicting PTSS at T2, and not vice versa. Results indicate that attachment anxiety might act as a risk factor for secondary traumatic reactions.
KW - Attachment
KW - PTSD
KW - Post-traumatic stress symptoms
KW - Prisoners of war
KW - Secondary traumatization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84949810545&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/14616734.2015.1121502
DO - 10.1080/14616734.2015.1121502
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AN - SCOPUS:84949810545
SN - 1461-6734
VL - 18
SP - 141
EP - 153
JO - Attachment and Human Development
JF - Attachment and Human Development
IS - 2
ER -