Examining the Impact of Childhood Trauma and the Mediating Role of Adaptive Coping on Insecure Attachment Style in Young Adults

Description

Page: 275-279

Vidhi Chandak and Alpana Vaidya (Department of Psychology, Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce, Pune, Maharashtra)

Childhood trauma plays a pivotal role in shaping an individual’s emotional, cognitive and relational functioning across the lifespan. It has been identified as a significant risk factor for the development of various psychological and interpersonal difficulties. One of the most profound and lasting consequences of early trauma is its impact on attachment and an emerging body of research suggests that coping mechanisms, especially avoidant coping strategies, may serve as critical mediators in this relationship. This study examines the relationship between childhood trauma and insecure attachment styles in young adulthood, with a specific focus on the mediating role of avoidant coping strategies. The sample consisted of 141 young adults (both male & female) from India. The tools used were- Childhood Trauma Questionnaire- Short form (Bernstein et al., 1998); Brief-COPE (Carver, 1997); Revised Adult Attachment Scale- Close Relationships Version (Collins, 1996). Correlation and mediation analysis were done which revealed significant positive relationship between childhood trauma – avoidant coping (r = 0.44, p <.001) and insecure attachment style (r = 0.33, p < .001) while observing partial mediation (B = 0.0923, 95% CI [0.0242, 0.1595]) making childhood trauma an important psychological construct impacting coping strategies and attachment styles of young adults.