Attachment Trauma and Abuse:

Attachment trauma and abuse are the long-term effects of early disruption in the healthy bonding process between a child and primary caregiver, often caused by abuse or neglect. Forms of abuse — direct and indirect — can contribute to insecure attachment styles — anxious-preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant, or disorganized — significantly affecting how a person interacts in relationships later on. Signs of attachment trauma can be difficulty trusting others, intense fear of abandonment, low self-esteem/excessive need for validation, problems with intimacy, difficulty regulating emotions, and hypervigilance. Also see Attachment Theory