NCJ Number
173250
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: Winter 1995 Pages: 273-283
Date Published
1995
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the extent to which an interactional model, relative to a main effect model, predicted the relationship between childhood physical abuse, perceived social support, and various aspects of socioemotional functioning in adult women.
Abstract
The study hypothesized that childhood physical abuse (potentiating factor) and early perceptions of social support (compensatory factor) would have a unique interaction effect on measures of adult socioemotional functioning, such as depression, anxiety, conflict resolution ability, empathic ability, and child abuse risk. It was also hypothesized participants with high levels of prepubertal social support would not differ in depression, trait anxiety, conflict resolution skills, perspective taking ability, or child abuse potential as a function of abuse history. Study participants were 461 female undergraduate students. Data were obtained using the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Conflict Tactics Scale, the Interpersonal Reactivity Inventory- Perspective Taking Scale, and the Child Abuse Potential Inventory. Findings demonstrated perceived social support during childhood was significantly related to subsequent levels of adult depression, trait anxiety, and child abuse potential in a manner consistent with a main effect model. Childhood history of physical abuse was related only to adult child abuse potential. Implications of the findings and study limitations are discussed. 33 references and 2 tables