The Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma on Adult Relationships and Attachment Styles
In this evidence-based synthesis paper, I reviewed findings across 24 empirical studies from 2009 to 2025 to summarize how childhood trauma affects adult attachment styles, specifically secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized attachment. Childhood trauma creates enduring changes in emotional control and attachment styles which ultimately may influence a person’s capacity to develop and sustain healthy relationships in adulthood. In this paper, I investigated the lasting impact of early trauma, which often manifests as trust issues; fear of abandonment; and challenges in conflict resolution, commitment, and intimacy. I examined the development of symptoms like fear of closeness or dependency and explored how unresolved trauma can influence parenting, potentially leading to transfer intergenerationally. In my synthesis, I also reviewed therapeutic interventions, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and attachment-based therapies that aim at healing attachment wounds and fostering secure adult relationships. I discovered that the research emphasized that self-awareness together with emotional work and supportive relationships and resilience serve as essential tools for people to overcome early adversity. Additionally, I identified two main research limitations which include small sample diversity and self-report data reliance, and I suggested future research directions to study trauma recovery. I concluded by emphasizing the need for expanded mental health services and increased public awareness to promote healthier relationships and disrupt cycles of intergenerational trauma.
PSY 499, Senior Capstone
Erin Mueller
Siefke 100
11:30 AM – Noon