Attachment, coping, and psychological symptoms among military veterans and active duty personnel

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives: Military service is a stressful occupation, including increased risk for psychological distress. In order to provide the best care for service members and veterans (SMVs), it is important to understand personality and behavioral patterns associated with negative outcomes. This study examined links between attachment processes, coping styles, problematic alcohol use and psychological distress.

Design: Using a cross-sectional, correlational design, a multi-instrument survey was administered to participants either online or in-person.

Methods: Veterans and active duty service members (N = 268) completed measures of adult attachment, coping styles, alcohol use, and psychological symptoms.

Results: Attachment avoidance was positively associated with avoidant coping, alcohol use, depression, and PTSD symptoms, but negatively related to problem-focused coping. Attachment anxiety was associated with avoidant coping, depression, GAD, and PTSD symptoms. Avoidant coping, but not problem-focused coping, was associated with psychological symptoms, and significant indirect relationships were noted between insecure attachment processes, avoidant coping, and psychological symptoms.

Conclusion: Findings highlight personality and behavioral factors that may be important treatment foci when working with SMVs. Future studies should evaluate this model using longitudinal designs.

KEYWORDS:

• Military
• veterans
• coping
• attachment
• psychological health

Acknowledgements

This study was based on the dissertation research of the first author as part of a larger project supported by the University of North Texas (UNT) under a Scholarly and Creativity Award to the second author. The authors are grateful to the participants for their time, cooperation and military service to United States of America. At the time of the research, all authors were affiliated with UNT; currently the first author is a Captain in the U.S. Army and Dr. McGuffin is in private practice.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

ORCID

Laura E. Captari http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1188-2462

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by University of North Texas.