Study of the Association Between the Type of Attachment and the Risk of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Study of the Association Between the Type of Attachment and the Risk of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Prospective Cohort Study in the Forensic Medicine Department of the Hospices Civils de Lyon

Attachment theory models the emotional bonding that is activated in situations of danger, via mental representations of self and others. Four types of attachment (TA) exist in adults: 3 insecure (Preoccupied, Detached, Fearful) and 1 secure. Attachment type is a major factor in the development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a frequent and disabling mental disorder that occurs after a traumatic event. A meta-analysis based on Anglo-Saxon studies including various populations (general, military or clinical) (n=9268 patients) suggested an association between Fearful BP and high level of PTSD symptoms (r=0.44). Nevertheless, these results did not allow the identification of variations related to the individual risk factors (RDFs) of the subject and his environment, especially in the French socio-cultural context. The investigators propose to study the association between LDs and the risk of PTSD in the days following exposure, their mutual influence in the months following, and their associated factors. Thus, a prospective cohort study among French adult victims of a traumatic event could objectify the link between BP - as close as possible to the event - and the risk of PTSD.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Major patient
• Having experienced a Potentially Traumatic Event within 3 days and according to DSM5 criterion A: Exposure to actual or potential death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one (or more) of the following ways: Directly experiencing the traumatic event, witnessing the event in person by others, learning that the traumatic event (violent or accidental) was experienced by a close family member or friend, experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to the harrowing details of the traumatic event (e.g., first responders or police officers) (exposure through electronic media, television, films, or photographs, if the exposure is work-related)
• Good understanding of oral and written French
• Having given written consent
• Patient affiliated to a social security scheme

Exclusion Criteria:

• Psychiatric pathology with current clinical instability (agitation, maladaptive consciousness...) or patient unable to understand questionnaires
• Vulnerable adult (curatorship, guardianship)
• Non French resident