Anxiety-buffer disruption in combat soldiers: the contributions of exposure to combat-related threats, attachment anxiety, and ideological threat to mental health and addiction.

BACKGROUND

We applied the existential-social psychological perspective of anxiety buffer disruption theory to explain the emergence of psychopathological reactions - post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, depression, anxiety, and substance and behavioral addictions - following exposure to combat-related threats.

METHOD: Israeli reserve soldiers in the Swords of Iron war (N = 357) completed measures of exposure to combat-related threats during the war, attachment anxiety, political voting, mental health (PTS, anxiety, depression) and problematic substance use and behavioral addictions.

RESULTS

In support of our hypotheses, exposure to combat-related threats was associated with increased severity of PTS symptoms, depression, and problematic alcohol consumption, especially among soldiers with high levels of attachment anxiety and those who voted for left/center-wing political opposition parties (for whom the war might be experienced as a threat to their political views). Among left/center-wing political opposition voters, there were also indirect effects of exposure to combat-related threats, attachment anxiety, and political voting on depression, anxiety, and substance and behavioral addictions via PTS severity.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings highlight the transdiagnosis quality of anxiety buffer disruption theory, specifically of attachment anxiety and political-worldview threat, as predictors of both mental health problems and substance and behavioral addictions.