How Does Trauma Make You Sick? The Role of Attachment in Explaining Somatic Symptoms of Survivors of Childhood Trauma

Author:

Greenman Paul Samuel12,Renzi Alessia3ORCID,Monaco Silvia3ORCID,Luciani Francesca3,Di Trani Michela3ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Département de Psychoéducation et de Psychologie, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gatineau, QC J8X 3X7, Canada

2. Institut du Savoir Montfort, Ottawa, ON K1K 0T2, Canada

3. Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy

Abstract

Exposure to traumatic events during childhood is common, and the consequences for physical and mental health can be severe. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect appear to contribute to the onset and severity of a variety of somatic inflictions, including obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. The aim of this scoping review was to try to gain insight into how this might occur. Given the evidence of indirect (i.e., through unhealthy behaviours such as excessive drinking or poor eating habits) and direct (i.e., through its impact on the endocrine, immune, and cardiovascular systems as well as on the brain) effects of attachment on health, we examined the possibility that insecure attachment might contribute to the development of somatic symptoms in adult survivors of childhood trauma. Eleven studies met our inclusion criteria. Findings from this review suggest that insecure and disorganized attachment orientations are related to DNA damage, metabolic syndrome and obesity, physical pain, functional neurological disorder, and somatization in adults exposed to childhood trauma. We discuss the implications of this for the conceptualization and treatment of trauma and stress disorders.

Publisher

MDPI AG

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