Attachment orientations and adult alcohol use amongst those with childhood adversities

Background; Adverse psychological consequences have been associated with both alcohol abstinence and alcohol disorders. Objectives; The current study considers those who have experienced childhood adversities and examines whether secure attachment orientation represents a protective factor against an increased likelihood of either abstinence/rare alcohol consumption or alcohol disorder diagnosis. Methods; Data was used from the National Comorbidity Survey Revised (NCS-R) (N=5692), a random sample representative of the American population. Adult personal alcohol use was considered in terms of abstinence/rare alcohol use, regular alcohol use and alcohol disorder diagnosis. Analyses focused on those who had experienced childhood adversities (N=2182) and assessed attachment orientation as a predictor of alcohol use. Results; Within those who had experienced childhood adversities, in comparison with securely attached individuals, both anxiously attached individuals and avoidant attached individuals had a significantly increased likelihood of being in the alcohol disorder diagnosis group as opposed to the regular alcohol consumption group. Avoidant individuals also had a significantly increased likelihood of being in the abstinence/rare alcohol use group. Conclusions/Importance; Results are discussed in terms of subgroups (vulnerable individuals and families) that may benefit from supportive interventions, and what format these interventions might take.