Dissociation and insecure attachment as mediators of the relation between childhood emotional abuse and nonclinical paranoid traits
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Thomas R. Kwapil, Associate Professor (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Abstract: mechanisms in the pathway from childhood trauma to paranoia. However, past work has notexamined these mechanisms concurrently in nonclinical populations.Objective: The current study sought to examine dissociation and insecure attachment as parallelmediators of the association between childhood emotional abuse and paranoid traits.Furthermore, a serial mediation model with insecure attachment preceding dissociation in theexplanatory pathway was explored.Methods: Eighty-nine nonclinically ascertained young adults were assessed for childhoodemotional abuse, dissociation, attachment styles, and paranoid traits. Parallel and serialmediation models were tested.Results: The association of childhood emotional abuse with both interview-based and selfreportedparanoid traits was significantly mediated by dissociation and preoccupied attachment.Fearful attachment was a significant mediator in the model for self-reported paranoid traits. Noevidence for a serial mediation effect was found.Conclusions: The present findings extend support for dissociation and attachment insecurity asmechanisms underlying the link between childhood emotional maltreatment and paranoid traits.Longitudinal research is needed to inform whether insecure attachment contributes todissociation along the pathways to paranoid traits.
Dissociation and insecure attachment as mediators of the relation between childhood emotional abuse and nonclinical paranoid traits
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Created on 4/10/2023
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Additional Information
- Publication
- European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1)
- Language: English
- Date: 2021
- Keywords
- Paranoia, Dissociation, Attachment Style, Childhood Trauma, Schizotypy