Citation

McCarthy G, Taylor A. J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry 1999; 40(3): 465-477.

Affiliation

Medical Research Council's Child Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10190347

Abstract

The role of attachment style, self-esteem, and relationship attributions as possible mediators between abusive childhood experiences and difficulties in establishing supportive love relationships in adulthood were investigated in a sample of women known to be at risk of experiencing relationship problems. Measures of child abuse, the quality of love relationships, and the three potential mediators were made concurrently in adulthood. Participants who had experienced child abuse were found to be six times more likely to be experiencing difficulties in the domain of adult love relationships than those who had not. Self-esteem and relationship attributions were not found to be related to child abuse. When both child abuse and avoidant/ambivalent attachment style were considered together avoidant/ambivalent attachment style, but not child abuse, was found to be related to relationship difficulties. These findings indicate that avoidant/ambivalent attachment style, but not self-esteem and relationship attributions, is a mediating factor in the route from child abuse to adult relationship abilities.

Language: en