title: Mental Health Following Separation in a Disaster: The Role of Attachment.
abstract: Short-term separation from close family members during a disaster is a highly salient event for those involved. Yet, its subsequent impact on mental health has received little empirical attention. One relevant factor may be attachment style, which influences patterns of support-seeking under threatening conditions. Individuals (N = 914) affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires in southeastern Australia were assessed for disaster experiences, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and attachment style 3-4 years after the fires. Using multigroup structural equation modelling, individuals who reported separation from close family members during the bushfires (n = 471) were compared to those who reported no separation (n = 443). Cross-sectional results indicated that separated individuals had higher levels of PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, attachment anxiety was more strongly positively associated with depression among separated (b = 0.62) versus not separated individuals (b = 0.32). Unexpectedly, among separated individuals, attachment avoidance had a statistically weaker association with depression (b = 0.17 vs. b = 0.35) and with PTSD symptoms (b = 0.06 vs. b = 0.22). These results suggest that attachment anxiety amplifies a negative reaction to separation; meanwhile, for avoidant individuals, separation in times of danger may facilitate defensive cognitive processes.
authors.affiliation: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: H Colin
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.affiliation: Emergency Services, Australian Red Cross, Melbourne, Australia.|Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: Phoenix Australia: Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Forbes
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Harms
authors.affiliation: Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gibbs
authors.affiliation: Phoenix Australia: Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Alkemade
authors.affiliation: Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.|Southgate Institute for Health, Society and Equity and School of Medicine, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: MacDougall
authors.affiliation: Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.affiliation: Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Block
authors.affiliation: Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lusher
authors.affiliation: Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Elyse
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: Emergency Services, Australian Red Cross, Melbourne, Australia.|School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bryant
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004190:Disasters; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005390:Fires; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology