As a part of an ongoing clinical study of refugees with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the primary objective of the current study was to examine and describe the distribution of adult attachment patterns as assessed by the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) in Arabic-speaking refugees. A total of 43 adult male and female refugees with Iraqi and Palestinian backgrounds completed the AAI. Sixty-seven percent of the sample was classified as Unresolved with respect to loss or trauma and a substantial proportion of insecure attachment representations (14% Secure- Autonomous, 39% Dismissing, 42% Preoccupied, 5% Cannot Classify) was found, in addition to high intake levels of post traumatic stress symptoms and comorbidity. Findings are compared with AAI studies of other PTSD or trauma samples, and the paper elaborates upon the methodological challenges in administering the AAI in a context of simultaneous translation. © 2016 Taylor & Francis.

Adult attachment patterns Complex refugee trauma post traumatic stress disorder AAI Unresolved trauma

refugee Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic randomized controlled trial (topic) human Refugees Warfare middle aged object relation Interview, Psychological Object Attachment Arab ethnology Arabs Young Adult Humans psychology Adolescent psychological interview male female adult posttraumatic stress disorder Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic personality assessment