Childhood Traumatic Experiences and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Attachment

Objective: The prevalence of child maltreatment is high in China. Child maltreatment damages children's developing abilities (e.g., emotional functions, self-perception) and is highly associated with a new diagnostic disorder, namely, complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). The mechanism of CPTSD is not clear, and attachment might be a crucial factor in the development of CPTSD symptoms. The prevalence of child maltreatment is high in China. Child maltreatment damages children's developing abilities (e.g., emotional functions, self-perception) and is highly associated with a new diagnostic disorder, namely, complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). The mechanism of CPTSD is not clear and attachment might be a crucial factor in the development of CPTSD symptoms. To explore the mediating roles of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance in the relationship between five forms of childhood trauma (i.e., physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, sexual abuse) and CPTSD symptoms. Method: The present study included 395 adolescents who had experienced at least one type of traumatic childhood experience. Results: Our findings showed that emotional abuse could predict posttraumatic stress disorder and disturbances of self-organization (DSO) symptoms via attachment anxiety. In addition, childhood neglect experiences (i.e., physical and emotional neglect) could predict DSO symptoms via attachment avoidance. Conclusions: Attachment is an important framework for understanding individuals' CPTSD symptoms following childhood traumatic experiences. Parents and educators should learn effective parenting styles that promote secure attachment, while researchers and clinical practitioners should further explore attachment-based trauma intervention approaches.