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The current study investigated how three distinct types of childhood abuse—witnessing of parental domestic violence, experiencing physical abuse and total in-home violence, and experiencing sexual abuse—predicted partner reports of relational violence through the mediating factors self-perceptions of attachment and partner reports of relational aggression. The study used paired dyadic data from 1,658 couples who had completed the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE). The Family Violence, the Brief Accessibility and Responsiveness, Couples Relational Aggression and Victimization, and the Conflict Tactics scales were the measures used. Data was analyzed by using structural equation modeling to estimate an actor-partner interdependence model exploring these relationships. Results showed only female childhood sexual abuse had direct associations with male relational violence; however, several mediating paths were identified.

Emotional impairment can lead to emotional disorders or dysfunction. Childhood abuse or neglect can be used to predict disorders and dysfunction. Missing from the literature was research exploring a direct relationship between a history of abuse or neglect and future emotional impairment. This quasi-experimental study served to examine whether histories of childhood abuse or neglect can be used to predict future emotional impairment using the Mayer and Salovey model of emotional functioning. A community sample of 138 adults from rural Wyoming completed retrospective reports of childhood trauma and current measures of emotional functioning, and 42% of the sample reported a history of childhood emotional abuse. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated childhood emotional abuse was not a valid predictor of impaired emotional functioning, while the covariates of physical neglect and sexual abuse were significant predictors. A history of childhood physical neglect could be used to predict lower measures in emotional understanding and global emotional functioning, while sexual abuse in males could be used to predict lower measures in emotional regulation and global emotional functioning. The new knowledge that childhood abuse or neglect can impair emotional functioning during adulthood provides a pathway for researchers to further explore the detrimental impact of childhood abuse and neglect on emotional functioning during the developmental years. In addition, for those individuals with a history of childhood abuse or neglect, positive social change may stem from gains in emotional understanding, emotional regulation, and global emotional functioning through improved interventions, preventative methods, and efficacious treatments.

Experiences of childhood physical and sexual abuse among men have not been sufficiently studied because many men are not forthcoming about experiences of abuse. This abuse is linked to aggressive behaviors, difficulty developing and maintaining close relationships, and various psychological disorders. Current research has not fully examined relationships between childhood abuse, adult attachment, and levels of relationship satisfaction among men. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to evaluate the relationship between adult attachment as measured by the Relationship Scales Questionnaire and relationship satisfaction as measured by the Couples Satisfaction Index among men abused during childhood. Bowlby's theory of attachment served as the theoretical foundation for this study, contending that an individual's ability to connect with and seek safety in others influences relationships later in life. Participants (n = 79) were recruited from MaleSurvivor Organization, which serves victims of abuse. Multiple regression and correlation analysis were used to measure adult attachment, childhood abuse severity, and relationship satisfaction. Results showed no significant relationship between abuse severity and adult attachment, no significant differences in relationship satisfaction based on attachment style, and no moderation between abuse severity and adult attachment and relationship satisfaction. Social change implications highlight the importance of providing appropriate treatment and prevention measures, which allow for awareness of abuse histories and its contributions to attachment behaviors and overall satisfaction in relationships.

Robert Agnew’s general strain theory (1992, 2001, 2006a) proposes that strain leads to crime and deviance. Substance use is a specific type of criminal behaviour that the theory attempts to explain. This thesis uses general strain theory to examine how a number of specific types of strain – homelessness, childhood abuse, criminal victimisation, and sex work – are related to substance use. In addition, the relationships between strain and negative emotions are examined. This thesis also examines how the relationships between strain and substance use are conditioned by negative emotionality/low constraint, deviant peers, deviant values, coping skills, self-esteem, and emotional support. Finally, the role of gender in all of the above-mentioned relationships is explored. In short, this thesis represents a fairly comprehensive test of general strain theory as it applies to substance use. In order to conduct this test, data was obtained between May 2009 and August 2010 by administering a survey to 400 homeless street youth in Toronto, Ontario. The results yield substantial support for some of GST’s main propositions. In particular, support is found for hypothesized relationships between strain and substance use as well as strain and negative emotions. Additionally, certain factors are found to condition the relationships between strain and substance use. Finally, gender differences in the relationships between strain and substance use are observed. These supportive results suggest that general strain theory is a novel way of explaining substance use by homeless street youth in Canada. Consequently, suggestions for future research and social policy are offered. / Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-27 02:09:39.94

The present study investigated the effects of childhood abuse that occurred before the age of 18 on levels of marital satisfaction in older age. The study examined marital satisfaction in a group of Caucasian older married individuals with a mean age of 65.4 years who retrospectively endorsed a history of childhood physical, verbal and/or sexual abuse. Although previous studies examined the relationship of child maltreatment on young and middle-age adult relationship satisfaction, the study addressed a gap in the literature in that it examined the impact of child maltreatment on marital satisfaction in older age. Marital satisfaction in older age is particularly important to understand due to the health and psychological benefits derived from being in a satisfying marriage in older age (Booth & Johnson, 1994; Dush, Taylor, & Kroeger, 2008; Proulx, Helms, & Buehler, 2007), which is a time when health may become fragile. Furthermore, this study expands the current literature by explicating plausible mediators in the association between child maltreatment and late-life marital satisfaction. In particular, based on life course theory, the study examined specific life course risks (i.e., early marriage, early childbirth, and multiple divorces) and adult individual characteristics (i.e., avoidance coping and depression) as plausible mediators in the association between child abuse and later life marital satisfaction. The study examined men and women separately and investigated the effect of the severity of abuse on relationship functioning. The study used Structural Equation Modeling to analyze the data and tested all relationships between abuse, each mediator, and marital satisfaction. Results demonstrate that child maltreatment is negatively associated with late life marital satisfaction and that mid-life depression mediates that association for both men and women. Additionally, modification indices suggested that avoidance coping may influence late life marital satisfaction through a connection with depression and that coping by wishful thinking may be relatively more harmful for martial satisfaction than other forms of cognitive and behavioral avoidance coping. Findings suggest that treating depression in mid-life may be a feasible route to help individuals who have a history of early childhood abuse to have satisfying and protective relationships later in life.

Aims: The experience of abuse in childhood can lead to psychological distress later in life. In particular the impact of trauma on the development of the self can render survivors more vulnerable to chronic feelings of shame and guilt. The aims of this research portfolio are twofold. First, a systematic review examines the impact of therapeutic interventions on depression outcomes for survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse. Second, a research study explores experiences of shame and guilt for this population. More specifically, the study examines those factors in the therapeutic process which survivors find helpful in their changing relationship with these emotions. Method: To address the first aim a systematic review of the literature was carried out. The methodology employed strict inclusion criteria and ten Randomised Control Studies were identified and included in the review. A prospective longitudinal qualitative study was conducted to explore the experiences of shame and guilt for survivors of childhood abuse. Participants (n=10) were interviewed at two different time intervals whilst accessing psychological therapy. Data was analysed using the Framework Method. Results: Findings from the systematic review show existing studies are mostly of poor to medium methodological quality; but that therapeutic interventions do improve depression outcomes for survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse. Results from the empirical study suggest feelings of shame more so than guilt are core emotions in the experience of psychological distress for survivors. Conclusion: Evidence-based therapeutic interventions for the range of complexities experienced by survivors of CSA are still to be established and more strong methodological trials are required. Shame is a core emotion in psychological distress for survivors and requires to be assessed and addressed routinely in therapeutic interventions.

The prevalence of adversities in early childhood, such as physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as familial dysfunction (e.g., caregiver divorce/separation, caregiver incarceration, etc.) is often examined in community adult samples. According to the Kaiser Permanente’s Adverse Childhood Experiences study, 10.6% of the general population reported experiencing emotional abuse in childhood, 28.3% reported experiencing physical abuse in childhood, and 20.7% reported being the victim of sexual abuse in childhood. Notably, many reported experiencing multiple forms of abuse. These statistics, however, are not generalizable to the experiences of youths involved with the criminal justice system, which are understudied but likely higher than in a general community sample. Research regarding the effect of adversity on sex offending youths is necessary to inform treatment and responses to abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction during childhood. Participants were recruited from archival data gathered at a rural residential juvenile sex offender treatment facility. Our preliminary subsample is approximately 6.7% (n = 30) of the anticipated total of approximately 500 juveniles in the residential sex offender treatment program. Our sample was entirely male (100%), primarily white (96.7%), and had a mean age of 14.77 (SD=1.43) at the time of admission. Using the rural-urban continuum codes outline by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 23% of our current sample was admitted to the facility from metropolitan areas, 20% from non-core urban population areas, and 3.3% from rural areas. The data collection began in November of 2014, and is ongoing. We can expect to have approximately 10 to 15% of data collection (n = 50-75) by April 2015. Our findings, thus far, indicate that 43% of juvenile sex offenders experienced emotional abuse, 70% experienced physical abuse, and 63% experienced sexual abuse in early childhood. We have also found that approximately 87% of our sample experienced caregiver divorce or separation, and 40% experienced caregiver incarceration during childhood. These findings suggest that these juveniles have experienced higher rates of early childhood abuse and familial dysfunction than the general adult population, as reported in the literature. As data collection proceeds, we expect to continue to find a notably higher rate of childhood abuse and familial dysfunction among juvenile sex offenders in residential treatment compared to the general population, and we will continue to examine all potential differences between juveniles from rural and urban areas.

Exposure to traumatic events can lead to many varied psychological and physiological difficulties, including an increased risk for chronic physical health problems and chronic pain disorders, which are thought to be mediated through the three major biological systems involved in the human stress response. The objective of the present study was to examine the relationships between psychological symptoms and proinflammatory immune markers, Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6), which are thought to be related to many of the physical health problems associated with posttraumatic psychopathology. Female participants (N=12) were recruited from a trauma specialty clinic and participated in approximately one research session per month for up to one year of psychotherapy. Five participants had at least three data points and were further examined for longitudinal correlations. Baseline measurements of urinary IL-1β were associated with self-report measures of trait anxiety and dissociative symptoms. One participant, who completed nine research sessions over nearly 12 months, showed improvements in depressive symptoms, state and trait anxiety, and dissociative symptoms that seemed to correspond with decreases in IL-6. IL-1β did not seem to be related to any of her symptom measures. A second participant, with five data points over almost four months, showed less marked change in symptomatology, but her IL-6 levels seemed to correspond with depressive and dissociative symptoms, and her IL-1β levels seemed to be associated with trends in state anxiety and dissociative symptoms. Three other participants had between three and four data points, and the trends obtained were inadequate to determine whether any true relationship existed among the longitudinal variables. These results provide preliminary evidence that it may be possible to reduce chronic pro-inflammatory dysregulation through psychotherapy-facilitated symptom reduction.

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