Attachment styles and complex PTSD

Abstract

The relationship between the attachment style of patients and psychological treatment is important, because changes in attachment style are assumed to have an influence on underlying mechanisms for effective treatment. This ex-plorative study aimed to examine the attachment style in patients with complex posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and changes in attachment style, PTSD-complaints and dissociative symptoms after the first phase of treatment: the stabilization course. The participants completed measures of attachment style, PTSD symptoms and dissociative symptoms before and after the stabilization course. The results show that patients with complex PTSD were not securely attached and that no change in attachment style had taken place after following the first phase of treatment. Furthermore, there was no significant and clinical relevant reduction in PTSD symptoms and dissociative symptoms after the stabilization phase. This study is relevant for the actual discussion about the importance of phase based treatment in complex PTSD