Abstract
Research indicates that a significant proportion of people living with HIV/AIDS report symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD). Moreover, attachment style has been associated with psychological and behavioral outcomes among persons living with
HIV/AIDS. Attachment style may influence the ability to cope with traumatic stress and affect PTSD symptoms. To examine the
association between attachment style and coping with PTSD symptoms, we assessed 94 HIV-positive adults on self-report measures
of posttraumatic stress, coping, and attachment style. In multiple regression analysis, avoidant attachment and emotion-focused
coping were positively and significantly associated with greater PTSD symptomatology. Support was also found for the moderating
effects of avoidant and insecure attachment styles on emotion-focused coping in relation to greater PTSD symptoms. Taken altogether,
these results suggest that interventions that develop adaptive coping skills and focus on the underlying construct of attachment
may be particularly effective in reducing trauma-related symptoms in adults living with HIV/AIDS.
(PTSD). Moreover, attachment style has been associated with psychological and behavioral outcomes among persons living with
HIV/AIDS. Attachment style may influence the ability to cope with traumatic stress and affect PTSD symptoms. To examine the
association between attachment style and coping with PTSD symptoms, we assessed 94 HIV-positive adults on self-report measures
of posttraumatic stress, coping, and attachment style. In multiple regression analysis, avoidant attachment and emotion-focused
coping were positively and significantly associated with greater PTSD symptomatology. Support was also found for the moderating
effects of avoidant and insecure attachment styles on emotion-focused coping in relation to greater PTSD symptoms. Taken altogether,
these results suggest that interventions that develop adaptive coping skills and focus on the underlying construct of attachment
may be particularly effective in reducing trauma-related symptoms in adults living with HIV/AIDS.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-10
- DOI 10.1007/s10865-012-9400-x
- Authors
- Cheryl Gore-Felton, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA 94305-5718, USA
- Karni Ginzburg, School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Maggie Chartier, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- William Gardner, PGSP-Stanford Psy.D Consortium, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Palo Alto, CA, USA
- Jessica Agnew-Blais, School of Public Health, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Elizabeth McGarvey, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Elizabeth Weiss, PGSP-Stanford Psy.D Consortium, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Palo Alto, CA, USA
- Cheryl Koopman, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA 94305-5718, USA
- Journal Journal of Behavioral Medicine
- Online ISSN 1573-3521
- Print ISSN 0160-7715