The influence of adverse childhood experiences and schizotypy on adult attachment styles.

Abstract

Objective: Early childhood adversities appear to be an important factor in predicting later mental health outcomes for those at-risk for psychosis. These early experiences may also be reflected in the development of interpersonal patterns (attachment) in adult relationships. However, there is little known about how specific adverse childhood experiences relate to both psychosis-risk factors (i.e., schizotypy) and current relationship attachments in young adults. We sought to explore the role of adverse childhood experiences in young adults during the developmental window of risk for psychosis to elucidate relationships to schizotypy levels, paranoia, and specific adult attachment styles.

Method: The present study utilized a cross-sectional design to collect quantitative, self-report data on adverse childhood experiences, schizotypy, paranoia, current adult attachment styles, and demographic information. Data were collected via online surveys of undergraduate students (n = 815) from a Northeastern university during the years 2017-2020.

Results: Consistent with hypotheses, early abuse and neglect scores were broadly related to increased subclinical psychosis experiences and poorer adult attachment style scores. All forms of abuse and neglect were linked to higher levels of schizotypy, in particular, emotional and sexual abuse scores. Specifically, negative schizotypy was associated with poorer adult attachment style scores (higher anxiety, lower close, and depend styles).

Conclusions: The present study is among the first to identify nuanced relationships between subclinical psychosis-risk indicators, abuse/neglect experiences, and adult attachment styles scores. Future research is needed to confirm these patterns and further elucidate mechanisms that may underlie these factors for the development of preventative and early intervention services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).