Over-identified negativism or over-idealized positivism: The paradoxical effects of maladaptive parenting and childhood interpersonal trauma on relational self-worth

Ho, H. L., Tollenaar, M.S. Dr., Chiu, C.-D. Dr.

 

Submission type

Poster only

Scheduled

Poster, Beurs van Berlage , Grote Zaal

Kernwoorden

Child abuse, dissociation, implicit self-esteem

Onderzoeksgebied

Trauma

Introductie

Working on a distorted view toward the self in relation to other people is inevitable, if not central, in the treatment with clients with a history of early relational adversity. Intuitively, aversive relational experience, including childhood interpersonal trauma, is proposed to hinder the development of a coherent self-worth with various self-aspects. However, empirical findings were inconsistent.

Materiaal en methodes

The current community study aimed to clarify this crucial yet intertwined relationship by taking several previous neglected covariates into consideration, including trauma-related psychopathology and early maladaptive parenting, and detangling the association between childhood interpersonal trauma and global self-esteem as well as relational self-esteem.

Resultaten

Confirming the confounding role of psychopathology in explicit self-esteem, the link between low explicit self-esteem and childhood interpersonal trauma disappeared when psychopathology was controlled for. In contrast, a relationship between childhood interpersonal trauma and relational self-esteem appeared on the implicit level, but it could only be found when psychopathology and maladaptive parenting were considered. People experienced more childhood interpersonal trauma reported higher relational self-esteem, while maladaptive parenting and psychopathology was related to lower relational self-esteem.

Conclusie

The effect of interpersonal maltreatment that potentially traumatizes a child differed from that of chronic maladaptive parenting behavior on the development of self-worth.

Auteurs