Differential Pathways from Child Maltreatment Types to Insecure Adult Attachment Styles via Psychological and Social Resources: A Bayesian Network Analysis.

This article investigates how different types of child maltreatment relate to insecure adult attachment styles—specifically attachment-related anxiety and avoidance—and examines the role of psychological (self-esteem) and social (perceived social support) resources in fostering resilience. Using Bayesian network analysis on retrospective survey data from 604 former members of fundamentalist Christian faith communities, the study found that emotional abuse directly associates with anxious adult attachment, while emotional neglect directly associates with avoidant adult attachment. Other maltreatment types, such as physical and sexual abuse, influence adult attachment indirectly through emotional abuse. Furthermore, self-esteem partially mediates the link between emotional abuse and anxious attachment, whereas perceived social support fully mediates the link between emotional neglect and avoidant attachment, with social support also positively influencing self-esteem. These findings highlight the importance of addressing risk-specific resources in interventions aimed at supporting adults with histories of child maltreatment and insecure attachment.