Are all attachment relationships equal? Exploring their roles in suicidal ideation among childhood trauma survivors

Child Abuse Negl. 2025 May 21;166:107506. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107506. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Adolescents with a history of childhood trauma (CT) are at an elevated risk of suicidal ideation (SI), with attachment relationships playing a key role in either mitigating or exacerbating this risk. However, the distinct roles of father-child, mother-child, and peer attachments remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the associations and relative importance of different attachment figures (father, mother, and peers) and attachment dimensions (trust, communication, and alienation) in relation to SI in adolescent CT survivors.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A total of 24,470 adolescents were recruited in 28 middle and high schools in three regions of China, of these, 12,388 were identified as CT survivors.

METHODS: Network analysis and relative importance analysis were used to explore the association between attachment and SI, controlling for covariates such as sex, age, parental marital status, subjective socioeconomic status, residence, and only child status.

RESULTS: Father-child attachment was most strongly associated with SI, with trust emerging as the most critical dimension. Peer alienation also showed a significant association, highlighting the importance of belonging. Mother-child attachment played a stabilizing role within the overall attachment network, irrespective of SI presence. Female adolescents were more sensitive to attachment disruptions compared to males.

CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the importance of attachment relationships, especially father-child relationship, in preventing SI among CT survivors.

PMID:40403575 | DOI:10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107506