NCJ Number
215669
Journal
Journal of Emotional Abuse Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: 2006 Pages: 67-85
Date Published
2006
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study examined "experiential avoidance," a response style that attempts to avoid negative private events, as a potential mediator of the link between childhood psychological abuse and current mental health symptoms in a cross-sectional sample of 987 college undergraduates.
Abstract
Findings show that childhood psychological abuse--defined as verbal communications from a caregiver to his/her child that undermine the child's sense of self-worth and social competence--was related to increased levels of experiential avoidance and current mental health symptoms. Experiential avoidance was also directly related to increased levels of current mental health symptoms. Thus, a pattern of unwillingness to admit to conscious awareness and be in touch with thoughts, feelings, memories, and bodily sensations that are disturbing and painful (experiential avoidance) is linked to childhood abuse and then to subsequent adult mental health symptoms. These findings are consistent with the extent literature on childhood psychological abuse and experiential avoidance. They suggest that using an experientially-avoidant coping style may increase the likelihood that psychologically abused children will experience mental distress in adulthood. In treating adults who experienced childhood psychological abuse, it is therefore important to focus on assisting them in the development of an experientially-accepting coping style. The 987 students were administered a subset of questions that revealed childhood psychological abuse, histories of other types of abuse, behaviors that qualified as experiential avoidance, and current mental health symptoms. 3 tables, 1 figure, and 38 references