The Role of Adult Attachment, Parental Bonding, and Spiritual Love in the Adjustment to Military Trauma

Abstract

ABSTRACT In order to prevent the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and to effectively treat it in active-duty and veteran populations, it is important to identify factors that may protect individuals exposed to significant traumas during military service. This pilot investigation conceptualized significant relationships in terms of attachment theory and explored the salutogenic role of adult attachment, parental bonding, and divine love as protective factors in adjustment to military trauma. Veterans participated in a structured clinical interview and completed self-report attachment measures. Associations of attachment and perceptions of important relationships with PTSD status were investigated in a convenience sample of 102 veterans. The findings suggest that veterans with current PTSD had lower secure attachment and higher insecure attachment compared to those without PTSD. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that after controlling for demographics, secure attachment explained an additional 11.2% of the variance and made the greatest predictive contribution to PTSD in this investigation. Group differences (PTSD versus no PTSD) were examined on measures of important relationships, and no significant differences were found related to parental bonding or perceptions of love by God. Veterans with current PTSD had significantly higher insecure romantic attachment compared to the no PTSD group; however, romantic attachment did not make a significant predictive contribution to current PTSD severity. Implications of the results for the treatment of individuals exposed to combat trauma are discussed.