Childhood abuse and attachment styles of adolescents

Abstract

Introduction: The fact that emotional and social experiences in early childhood period within the family influence the experiences in adolescence and adulthood (communication skills, interpersonal relations) is not a new case. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the relationship between childhood abuse and attachment styles. Method: The sample of this study consists of 490 freshmen studying at different faculties of Selcuk University. In this study, while collecting necessary data, Relationships Scale Questionnaire and Childhood Trauma Scale. In order to establish a positive or negative relationship between the childhood abuse experiences of adolescents and the attachment styles, Pearson Product- Moment Correlation Technique is applied. Results: When the findings are taken into consideration, it is observed that there is a negative significant relationship between secure attachment style and emotional abuse (p<0.05); a positive significant relationship between preoccupied attachment style and physical abuse (p<0.01) and a positive significant relationship between dismissing attachment style and emotional abuse (p<0.05) as well as a positive significant relationship fearful attachment style and physical abuse (p<0.05). Studies carried out highlight that traumas experienced during the childhood develop insecure attachment style. Individuals exposed to abuse in their families, especially the ones exposed to emotional and physical abuse, cannot develop a secure attachment style is coherent with the main assumption of attachment theory. © Education & Psychology I+D+i and Editorial EOS (Spain).