The Influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Attachment Styles and Generalized Anxiety: A Predictive Model in Adults
- Publicado
- Servidor
- Preprints.org
- DOI
- 10.20944/preprints202604.1624.v1
The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive role of adverse childhood experiences on attachment styles and generalized anxiety in 358 adults who had experienced violence in Trujillo, thereby directly contributing to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being. The study was conducted using a quantitative, empirical approach with an explanatory focus, employing a non-experimental cross-sectional design. The findings confirmed that adverse childhood experiences significantly predict both the formation of emotional bonds and anxiety symptoms, with a stronger impact on attachment styles. It was determined that early adversity does not act in isolation but rather distorts the emotional bond; thus, attachment acts as a mediating bridge where the insecurity generated by adverse experiences is what ultimately triggers and sustains anxiety in adulthood. These results underscore that current psychological distress is the consequence of a chain of vulnerability initiated in childhood, where the distortion of the attachment system becomes the central mechanism that perpetuates anxiety symptoms in the face of an environment perceived as hostile.