Long-term adjustment among Israeli war veterans: the role of attachment style

Abstract

This study examines the role of attachment in the long-term adjustment of Israeli veterans. The sample of participants comprised three groups of Israeli veterans who fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War: 112 combat stress reaction (CSR) casualties, 98 veterans who received medals for bravery, and 189 controls. The CSR casualties reported higher levels of emotional distress than did participants in the two other groups. CSR veterans also showed the lowest levels of secure attachment characteristics. Additionally, the findings revealed different relationships between the avoidant style of attachment and emotional distress measures across the research groups. The implications of these findings are discussed according to two theoretical models of attachment.

Keywords:

• Attachment
• Wartime performance
• Posttraumatic stress disorder
• CSR casualties
• Decorated veterans