The Role of Attachment Styles and Childhood Trauma in Predicting the Tendency to Use Tobacco with the Mediating Role of Personality Organization
Keywords:
Attachment style, childhood trauma, Personality organization, tendency to smokeAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to examine the role of attachment styles and childhood trauma in predicting tobacco use tendency, emphasizing the mediating role of personality organization among young adults.
Methodology: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 200 university students and young adult tobacco users aged 18–30 in Tehran in 2025, selected via convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Adult Attachment Styles Questionnaire, and Personality Organization Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and path analysis in SPSS 26 and AMOS 24.
Findings: Childhood trauma (β=0.34), avoidant attachment (β=0.21), and anxious attachment (β=0.28) had significant positive direct effects on tobacco use tendency, while secure attachment (β=−0.23) and personality organization (β=−0.35) had significant negative direct effects. Childhood trauma and insecure attachment styles also predicted tobacco use indirectly through lower personality organization. The model demonstrated acceptable fit indices (χ²/df=1.71, RMSEA=0.054, CFI=0.95).
Conclusion: The findings indicate that adverse childhood experiences and insecure attachment styles can increase the risk of tobacco use tendency through weakened personality organization, whereas secure attachment and integrated personality organization function as protective factors. Strengthening personality organization and fostering secure attachment could serve as key targets for tobacco use prevention and intervention programs.
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Copyright (c) 2025 محبوبه داودآبادی فراهانی, علیرضا آهنگران, فاطمه مسعودی¬بیدگلی, هانیه افضلی¬نژاد (Author); نازنین حقیقت¬بیان (Translator); سهیل جعفری (Author)
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