NCJ Number
196258
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2002 Pages: 210-225
Date Published
August 2002
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study examined the association between child maltreatment and adult violence in a high-risk sample of women with and without a history of cocaine abuse and the contribution of working models of childhood attachment relationships in understanding this association.
Abstract
Data for this study were collected between September 1994 and November 1996 as part of the Women's Health Project in New York City. Participants for the current study were 115 women who were currently receiving substance abuse treatment for cocaine abuse (n=59) or obstetrics/gynecology services (n=56) at a public hospital in New York City that serves a low-income, minority population. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 56, and 68 percent were African-American, 26 percent were Latino, 4 percent were Native American, and 3 percent were Caucasian. Interviews consisted of a variety of structured and semistructured measures designed to provide information on family background, psychiatric and substance abuse history, experiences with violence as a child or adult, and current and past relationships. Findings indicate that whereas childhood physical abuse was associated with adult sexual victimization for cocaine-abusing women, sexual abuse was associated with both partner violence victimization and perpetration for comparison women. Insecure working models of attachment were associated with partner violence victimization for comparison women, independent of the effect of sexual abuse. These findings suggest the importance of research that focuses on understanding the processes by which child maltreatment may lead to later violence, as well as research that examines both childhood and adulthood experiences in understanding pathways to adult violence. 6 tables and 98 references