The role of attachment styles in post-traumatic stress disorder and posttraumatic growth in the Shidu parents of China.

BACKGROUND

The number of Shidu parents in China is significant and expected to continue increasing. The psychological status of Shidu parents deserves more attention.

OBJECTIVE

Our objective is to investigate the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder and attachment styles among Shidu parents on post-traumatic growth, with the aim of providing valuable insights for alleviating post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and enhancing levels of post-traumatic growth following trauma.

DESIGN

Demographic data, the Revised Adult Attachment Scale, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, and the post traumatic growth inventory were used to investigated 297 Shidu parents.

METHOD: Two samples t-test was employed to evaluate disparities in post-traumatic growth inventory scores based on post-traumatic stress disorder and diverse attachment styles. Pearson's correlation analysis was used to investigate the association between Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 scores and post-traumatic growth inventory scores, as well as the association between different attachment styles and post-traumatic growth inventory scores. We performed multiple mediator analyses to further confirm the influence of post-traumatic stress disorder and attachment styles on post-traumatic growth inventory.

RESULTS

(1) A total of 35% of the people tested positive for post-traumatic stress disorder; (2) A total of 56.9% of the participants exhibited secure attachment, while 43.1% exhibited insecure attachment; (3) The results unveiled a substantial negative correlation between the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 scores and the post traumatic growth inventory scores; (4) A significant positive correlation was evident in relation to attachment dependence/closeness and post-traumatic growth inventory, while a significant negative correlation was established between attachment anxiety and post-traumatic growth inventory.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that post-traumatic growth inventory is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and attachment styles in Shidu parents. It might offer new insights into influencing levels of post-traumatic growth through post-traumatic stress disorder intervention.