Attachment-Related Consequences of War Captivity and Trajectories of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A 17-Year Longitudinal Study

Attachment security contributes to resilience in times of stress, but it can be disrupted by traumatic events that shatter positive views of self and others. We followed Israeli ex-POWs of the Yom Kippur War over 17 years and examined associations between trajectories of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and disruptions in the regulatory functions of the attachment system. Fifty-nine ex-POWs and 39 control veterans from the same war who had...