The Effect of Adult Attachment on Post-traumatic Growth: Moderated Mediation of Optimism and Mentalizing

The purpose of this study is to examine the moderated mediating effect of mentalization on the relationship between adult attachment and post-traumatic growth (PTG) through the mediation of optimism. To achieve this, the study surveyed 260 adults aged 19-39, gathering data on trauma experiences, adult attachment patterns, and levels of optimism and mentalization through both online and offline questionnaires. The findings of this study are as follows: First, correlation analysis revealed that avoidant attachment had a negative correlation with post-traumatic growth, while anxious attachment showed no significant correlation with PTG. In contrast, mentalization and optimism had significant positive correlations with PTG. Second, mediation analysis indicated that optimism fully mediated the relationship between avoidant attachment and PTG. Third, moderation analysis showed that mentalization had a moderating effect on the relationship between optimism and PTG. Fourth, the moderated mediation analysis revealed that the indirect effect of avoidant attachment on PTG through optimism was significantly moderated by mentalization. Based on these results, the study discusses its implications and provides suggestions for future research.