Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the most commonly identified Axis I disorder associated with childhood abuse, particularly for women. A failure to complete a process of mental reorganization following a traumatic event is thought to underlie the development of PTSD symptoms. Such mental disorganization regarding trauma is also thought to underlie the uniquely incoherent speech seen in adults with unresolved attachment states of mind. Recent discoveries in attachment research strongly support a link between unresolved loss or trauma and disorganization of the parent-infant attachment relationship. Nevertheless, no study to date has empirically demonstrated the association between trauma related psychiatric symptoms and unresolved attachment or has attempted to treat adults with unresolved states of mind. Trauma theory and research identify exposure treatment as the """"""""gold standard"""""""" treatment for the symptoms of PTSD. Thus, the aims of this study are to 1) examine the association between PTSD and unresolved trauma in the AAI in a sample of 100 women and 2) assess the impact of an exposure-based treatment on women's unresolved attachment status. We argue these findings will fill the gap in the trauma and attachment literatures regarding the relationship between childhood abuse, disturbances in attachment, and current psychopathology. We also argue that these findings will provide the empirical basis for the development of a treatment program aimed at changing mothers' internal representations of trauma and improving the parent-infant attachment relationship.
| Stovall-McClough, K Chase; Cloitre, Marylene (2006) Unresolved attachment, PTSD, and dissociation in women with childhood abuse histories. J Consult Clin Psychol 74:219-28 |
