NCJ Number
222030
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 32 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2008 Pages: 19-34
Date Published
January 2008
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study examined the associations between childhood adversity, parental bonding, gender, depressive symptoms, and quality of life in non-treatment-seeking adults from the community.
Abstract
This study found that childhood maltreatment and negative parental bonding experiences were both associated with poorer quality of life in adulthood and depressive symptoms. The findings suggest that childhood maltreatment in itself does not predetermine quality of life in adulthood. The quality of perceived care provided by one’s father was a critical variable. Depression scores were found to be the strongest predictor of quality of life. Given that childhood maltreatment increases the risk of depression (Brown and Harris, 1993), childhood maltreatment appears to impact the quality of life somewhat indirectly. Fewer adults who reported having been exposed to significant childhood maltreatment in the form of abuse and/or neglect reported having optimal parental bonding experiences than did their non-exposed counterparts. Researchers found that given that poor parental care and excessive psychological control or intrusive behavior increased susceptibility for and might have contributed to adverse effects such as abuse and neglect in childhood (Enns et al., 2002; Hill et al., 2000). Effects of differential parental rearing were compared in adults who reported a high degree of childhood maltreatment n=72 (22 men and 50 women), and those who reported no maltreatment in childhood n=68 (27 men and 42 women), ranging in age from 18-65. All of the subjects were assessed using the following measures: 1) Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders; 2) Childhood Trauma Questionnaire; 3) Parental Bonding Instrument; 4) Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report; and 5) Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire. Figures, tables and references