Childhood Victimization and Physical Health in Women: The Mediating Role of Adult Attachment.

Research has shown that female survivors of childhood abuse (CA) are more likely than nonabused women to experience long-term physical health concerns. Adult attachment may influence this relationship given that attachment insecurity has been linked to poorer physical health and postulated mechanisms of action are similar. This study used structural equation modeling to investigate whether adult attachment insecurity mediates the relationship between four types of CA and self-reported physical health in 538 undergraduate women. CA prevalence rates ranged from 11.7% (sexual abuse) to 34.9% (psychological abuse). In separate structural equation models, direct pathways were significant between CA and adult attachment insecurity, CA and adult physical health, and adult attachment insecurity and adult physical health. Adult attachment insecurity was found to partially mediate health outcomes in CA survivors, S-B χ = 116.60 (58), < .001; comparative fit index = .95; Tucker-Lewis index = .94; root mean square error of approximation = .05; and confidence interval = [.03, .06]. Physical health is a significant concern for survivors of CA, and these results suggest improving attachment security may represent an important avenue of intervention.