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This version was published on September 1, 2008
Traumatology, Vol. 14, No. 3, 1-12 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1534765608319085

The Attachment Characteristics of Combat Veterans with PTSD

Edwin F. Renaud

ALSO-Cornerstone, New Haven, Connecticut, edrenaud{at}comcast.net

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from combat exposure has been found to have more disruptive effects on interpersonal and family functioning than trauma from other sources. Attachment theory and Foa's cognitive—behavioral model of PTSD suggest pathways by which the symptoms of PTSD may contribute to social impairment. Forty-nine self-selecting male veterans with combat-related PTSD were administered the Experience of Close Relationships (ECR) Scale, the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI), the Mississippi Scale for combat PTSD, and a demographic questionnaire to test for relationships between attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, cognitive distortions associated with PTSD, and PTSD symptom severity. Veterans were found to generally endorse avoidant attachment styles. Attachment avoidance and ambivalent attachment were associated with more PTSD symptoms. A hypothesis for the effects of PTSD symptoms on attachment characteristics, situating the findings within existing theory, is proposed.

Key Words: PTSD • attachment avoidance • attachment anxiety • hyperarousal • cognitive distortions • combat veterans


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