Citation

Gay LE, Harding HG, Jackson JL, Burns EE, Baker BD. J. Aggression Maltreat. Trauma 2013; 22(4): 408-424.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10926771.2013.775982

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Theoretical and empirical research suggests possible pathways between women's experiences of childhood emotional abuse (CEA) and later intimate partner violence victimization (IPV-V) and perpetration (IPV-P), including attachment style and early maladaptive schemas. This study tested a model examining the unique mediating effects of insecure attachment and early maladaptive schemas on the relationship between CEA and IPV-V (n = 396) or IPV-P (n = 409) in college women. Contrary to hypotheses that both attachment style and maladaptive schema endorsement would mediate the relationship between CEA and IPV-V and IPV-P, regression analyses indicated the disconnection/rejection schema domain was the only significant mediator between CEA and IPV-V (p = .01). This same relation held for childhood emotional abuse and IPV-P (p < .001). These findings provide preliminary clinical utility for examining schema endorsement, the use of schema therapy (Young, Klosko, & Weishar, 2003), or both with women who have emotional abuse and IPV histories.