@article{ref1,
title="Child maltreatment and post-traumatic growth: implications for the well-being of young adults",
journal="Child abuse and neglect",
year="2022",
author="Jankovic, Cassandra and Sharp, Jessica and Thielking, Monica",
volume="131",
number="",
pages="e105783-e105783",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Little is known about the relationship between childhood maltreatment and well-being in young adults, including the role of post-traumatic growth (PTG) in promoting better outcomes for young adults who have a history of childhood maltreatment (HCM). <br><br>OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between child maltreatment and well-being among young adults, by considering the perpetrator and the extent of the maltreatment, as well as PTG among young adults with a HCM. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample comprised 537 young adults (aged 18-25; M = 21.09 years, SD = 2.36) from across Australia, with 182 young adults in the sample forming the cohort with a HCM. <br><br>METHOD: Participants' current well-being, the extent of maltreatment by their mother, father and other adults experienced as a child (<18 years), and PTG was collected using an online survey. Tests of group differences and multiple regression were conducted to analyse the relationships between child maltreatment, PTG, and current well-being. <br><br>RESULTS: Maltreatment by one's mother or father predicted poorer current well-being, but not maltreatment by another adult. Young adults who identified as having a HCM had poorer well-being than those who did not. Within the cohort of those with a HCM, greater PTG predicted greater well-being, and also mitigated the negative relationship between child maltreatment by one's father and well-being. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that both the extent of child maltreatment and the relationship to the perpetrator have implications for well-being among young adults. PTG appeared to play a protective role, highlighting the potential therapeutic benefit of fostering PTG to improve well-being among young adults with a HCM.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0145-2134",
doi="10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105783",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105783"
}