Adverse Childhood Experiences, Attachment Styles, and Personality among Young Adults

Description

Page: 179-188

Charu Chandra and Roopali Sharma (Amity Institute of Psychology & Allied Sciences, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh)

The current study examines the relationship among adverse childhood experiences, attachment styles, and personality traits, and explores the mediating effect of attachment styles among young adults. The sample consisted of 372 participants aged between 18 and 25 years, selected through convenience sampling and snowball sampling. The tool used for data collection are Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire, Attachment Styles Questionnaire and EPQR-Short. Correlation and Path analysis were computed for data analysis. An exploratory component added by doing post hoc moderation to show the moderating effect of secure attachment between ACEs and psychoticism, and post hoc conditional mediation see the impact of different levels of secure attachment on the indirect path of ACEs and psychoticism via preoccupied attachment. Findings revealed a significant relation of ACEs with neuroticism, a weak relation with psychoticism, fearful attachment, and preoccupied attachment. Neuroticism has a significant relation with fearful and preoccupied attachment. Extroversion has a significant relation with secure, fearful, and preoccupied attachment style. Psychoticism shows a significant relation with fearful and preoccupied attachment. ACEs mediate Neuroticism through fearful and preoccupied attachment. ACEs mediate Extroversion through fearful attachment, and lastly, ACEs mediate Psychoticism through preoccupied attachment style. Post hoc moderation analysis and post hoc moderated mediation were also done. Furthermore, got to know the importance of Secure Attachment acts as a shield against the adverse psychological impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences.