Attachment, attachment hierarchy, postdeployment social support and somatization among Czech combatants

Aneta Cvrčková
Lenka Lacinová

Abstract

In the past few years there has been an increase in research interest of attachment and its hierarchy with related biopsychosocial phenomena through different population groups of adults. The first aim of this study is first to probe how the attachment, the post-deployment support and the combat experience influence somatization tendencies of the Czech combatants. The second aim of this study is to probe whether colleagues from deployment can be found among attachment figures of soldiers. The research was realized via questionnaire survey among 71 Czech combatants, who were at least once deployed. The applied methods were Experience in Close Relationship-Relationship Structures (ECR-RS), Post-Deployment Support and The Combat Experience Scale from Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory, a short form of SCL-90 and WHOTO. The results show that the attachment anxiety and the post-deployment support significantly predict the somatization tendencies. The second result of this study shows that colleagues from deployment appear among combatant´s at­tachment figures. The results could serve as the source for developing an intervention programme.

https://doi.org/10.29364/epsy.292

(Fulltext in Czech)

Keywords

somatization tendencies, social support, attachment, attachment hierarchy

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