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Child Maltreatment Experiences and Romantic Relationship Functioning: The Role of Emotion Dysregulation and Early Maladaptive Schemas

Year: 2009
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Child maltreatment has been linked to later romantic relationship difficulties, but the mechanisms through which this occurs are unclear.The current study examined a model including two mechanisms, emotion dysregulation and early maladaptive schemas, that were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between cumulative child maltreatment and young adult romantic relationship functioning.It was hypothesized that cumulative child maltreatment would be associated with higher levels of anxiety and avoidance within the context of romantic relationships, and that emotion dysregulation and early maladaptive schemas would account for this relationship.In the current study, 727 college women completed retrospective, anonymous surveys assessing child maltreatment, emotion dysregulation, early maladaptive schemas and attachment-related anxiety and avoidance within romantic relationships.Cumulative maltreatment was a significant predictor of both emotion dysregulation and early maladaptive schemas, which were significant predictors of attachmentrelated anxiety.Modified models indicated that emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between child maltreatment and attachment-related anxiety in young-adult romantic relationships.Alternate models including early maladaptive schemas were less parsimonious and had poorer global fit indices.Findings suggest that the incorporation of emotion regulation skills training into interventions with adult survivors of child maltreatment may be integral for decreasing attachment-related anxiety and increasing healthy functioning within romantic relationships.
Institution: Miami University
Language: English
Field: Psychology
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2247496903
FWCI:
Cites: 94
Cited by: 3
Related to: 10