Linking child maltreatment to adult couples’ adjustment: attachment style as a mediator

Graduation Date

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Other

Program

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, Psychology: Academic Research, 2015

Committee Chair Name

Tasha Howe

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Romantic relationships, Dyads, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Psychology, Same-sex, Adjustment, Neglect, Multilevel modeling, Child maltreatment, Dyadic, Abuse, Couples, Mental health symptoms, Attachment, Intimate partner violence, Relationship quality

Abstract

Experiencing maltreatment as a child is associated with emotion dysregulation, internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, insecure attachment style, and impaired social relationships in adulthood. Despite having a higher incidence of chaotic and violent relationships in adulthood, adult survivors of childhood maltreatment may benefit from positive attachment experiences with supportive partners, allowing for better mental health outcomes. Previous research has suggested that both partners' attachment style predict their partners' reported relationship satisfaction, which may then predict both mental health and relationship outcomes such as psychological distress and future termination of the relationship. However, despite the importance of considering romantic relationships as potential corrective attachment experiences, research exploring childhood experiences of maltreatment and mental health symptoms in romantic couples is limited. The majority of studies on maltreatment, mental health symptoms, relationship quality, and attachment style have often failed to include both members of romantic couples. Additionally, previous work has primarily examined these processes in relatively low-risk, heterosexual couples. The current study examined associations between child maltreatment severity, internal working models (IWMs) of attachment, mental health symptoms, and relationship quality in both members of committed romantic couples. A sample of 55 adult couples (N = 110) engaged in a committed romantic relationship with a member of the same or other sex was utilized for this study. Participants were recruited from both the community and university population. A series of multilevel models revealed that individuals' and their partners' levels of maltreatment severity were related to increased attachment anxiety and avoidance. Anxious and avoidant IWMs were associated with higher rates of mental health symptoms in individuals, regardless of the IWM of their partner, and lower relationship quality, particularly when partners' were insecurely attached. Additionally, Sobel's test revealed that individuals' anxious and avoidant IWMs mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment severity and mental health symptoms as well as between childhood maltreatment severity and relationship quality. The overall results of the current study suggest that the childhood maltreatment experiences and IWMs of both individuals and their romantic partners may contribute to mental health and relational quality outcomes. Thus, results underscore the importance of taking a dyadic approach to relational and mental health in both research design and clinical practice. Findings suggest that promoting healthy attachment relationships in adult survivors of child maltreatment may be especially effective for enhancing relationship quality and reducing mental health symptoms.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/2227ms164

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