Child Abuse Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Child Abuse, including details on family violence, examinations, long-term effects, psychiatrics disorders.

Attachment and social support in the prediction of psychopathology among young adults with and without a history of physical maltreatment.

McLewin LA, Muller RT

Department of Psychology, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto, Ont., Canada M3J 1P3.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the roles that social support and attachment play with regard to psychopathology among young adults with and without a history of physical maltreatment. Attachment was conceptualized in terms of the dimensions of view of self and view of other. Attachment and social support were examined individually and concurrently as protective factors. METHOD: The sample consisted of 956 young adults, 294 of whom had a history of physical abuse. Individuals filled out a series of questionnaires inquiring about current attachment, social support, and psychopathology symptoms. A regression design was used, examining how well attachment and/or social support predicted current psychopathology. RESULTS: Results indicated that attachment security, particularly when characterized by a positive view of self, strongly predicted lower levels of psychopathology, irrespective of abuse status. Notably, view of self was a substantially larger predictor than was view of other or social support for individuals with and without a history of physical maltreatment. Among maltreatment subtypes, psychological abuse emerged as the largest predictor of psychopathology. CONCLUSIONS: The current study suggests that the attachment dimension of view of self is fundamental in predicting current psychopathology level, irrespective of abuse history. In addition, the subtype of psychological abuse deserves further investigation as a risk factor.

Published 13 February 2006 in Child Abuse Negl, 30(2): 171-91.
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