Child Maltreatment, Self Capacities, and Trauma Symptoms: Psychometric Properties of the Inner Experience Questionnaire

• NCJ Number: 215670
• Journal: Journal of Emotional Abuse Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: 2006 Pages: 103-125
• Author(s): Kathleen J. Brock; Laurie Anne Pearlman; Edward M. Varra
• Date Published: 2006
• Length: 23 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Test/Measurement; Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study tested the psychometric (measure of psychological states) properties of the Inner Experience Questionnaire (IEQ), a measure of self-capacities.

Abstract

The findings show that the IEQ detected more severely disrupted self-capacities in adults who had experienced childhood maltreatment compared with those without a maltreatment history. According to constructivist self-development theory (McCann and Pearlman, 1990; Pearlman, 1998; Pearlman and Saakvitne, 1995), there are three self-capacities: the ability to experience, tolerate, and integrate strong emotions; the ability to maintain a sense of connection with others; and the ability to maintain a sense of self as important, helpful, and constructive. Constructivist self-development theory suggests that these self-capacities develop through early relationships with caregivers as children learn to regulate their inner states. The ability to maintain a sense of connection with others forms the basis from which the other self-capacities develop. In using the IEQ to show that childhood maltreatment disrupts the constructive development of self-capacities, the current study suggests that information about self-capacities might offer structure and direction for psychotherapy with survivors of childhood maltreatment. A therapy that focuses on the development of self-capacities might be more useful than a therapy that focuses only on the challenging symptoms that result from poorly developed self-capacities (e.g., suicidal tendencies, depression, self-injury, and anxiety). This study used archival data from four studies that measured disruptions in self-capacities with the 24-item IEQ. The IEQ uses measures of agreement with statements by using a Likert scale that ranges from one (disagree strongly) to six (agree strongly). The IEQ was developed to contain three subscales that measure the three self-capacities. 2 tables and 51 references