Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-pjpqr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-07T22:55:54.624Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Childhood Abuse and Positive and Negative Relationship Quality in Women: The Role of Depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2020

Michael Fitzgerald Open the ORCID record for Michael Fitzgerald [Opens in a new window] ,
Thomas Ledermann ,
Joseph G. Grzywacz  and
Cailyn Hamstra
Michael Fitzgerald*
Affiliation:
School of Child and Family Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA
Thomas Ledermann
Affiliation:
Department of Family and Child Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Joseph G. Grzywacz
Affiliation:
Department of Family and Child Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Cailyn Hamstra
Affiliation:
Department of Teacher Education, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
*
Address for correspondence: Michael Fitzgerald, 207 Joseph Greene Hall, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The interpersonal nature of childhood abuse has led researchers to examine how abuse in childhood is associated with the quality of adult women's romantic relationships. Depression is one pathway by which childhood abuse may be associated with relationship quality. The current study considers whether childhood abuse is linked to positive and negative relationship quality through depressive symptoms. Data were obtained from women participating in the Longitudinal Study of Childhood Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN; N = 544) and were analysed using structural equation modelling. Results indicate a significant indirect effect from childhood abuse to both positive and negative quality through women's depressive symptoms. The indirect effect from abuse to negative relationship quality through depression was significantly larger than positive relationship quality. These results suggest that childhood abuse and subsequent depressive symptoms has a twofold effect on women's romantic relationships.

Keywords

childhood abusedepressionmediationrelationship qualityromantic relationships
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Relationships Research , Volume 11 , 2020 , e14
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Banford Witting, A., & Busby, D. (2018). The long arm of trauma during childhood: Associations with resources in couple relationships. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 45, 534–549.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, D.M., Keyes, K.M., & Bates, L.M. (2013). Racial differences in depression in the United States: how do subgroup analyses inform a paradox? Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 48, 1941–1949.Google ScholarPubMed
Bigras, N., Godbout, N., Hébert, M., Runtz, M., & Daspe, M.È. (2015). Identity and relatedness as mediators between child emotional abuse and adult couple adjustment in women. Child Abuse & Neglect, 50, 85–93.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bodenmann, G., & Ledermann, T. (2008). Depressed mood and sexual functioning. International Journal of Sexual Health, 19, 63–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braithwaite, S., & Holt-Lunstad, J. (2017). Romantic relationships and mental health. Current Opinion in Psychology, 13, 120–125.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bulanda, J.R., & Brown, S.L. (2007). Race-ethnic differences in marital quality and divorce. Social Science Research, 36, 945–967.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Centers for Disease Control. (2016). Adverse childhood experiences. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/index.htmlGoogle Scholar
Cicchetti, D., Rogosch, F.A., Gunnar, M.R., & Toth, S.L. (2010). The differential impacts of early physical and sexual abuse and internalizing problems on daytime cortisol rhythm in school-aged children. Child Development, 81, 252–269.Google ScholarPubMed
Colman, R.A., & Widom, C.S. (2004). Childhood abuse and neglect and adult intimate relationships: A prospective study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 28, 1133–1151.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Conger, R.D., Elder, G.H. Jr., Lorenz, F.O., Conger, K.J., Simons, R.L., Whitbeck, L.B., … Melby, J.N. (1990). Linking economic hardship to marital quality and instability. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 643–656.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conger, R.D., Schofield, T.J., Neppl, T.K., & Merrick, M.T. (2013). Disrupting intergenerational continuity in harsh and abusive parenting: The importance of a nurturing relationship with a romantic partner. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53, S11–S17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dalton, E.J., Greenman, P.S., Classen, C.C., & Johnson, S.M. (2013). Nurturing connections in the aftermath of childhood trauma: A randomized controlled trial of emotionally focused couple therapy for female survivors of childhood abuse. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 2, 209–221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denton, W.H., & Burwell, S.R. (2006). Systemic couple intervention for depression in women. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 25, 43–57.Google Scholar
Dessaulles, A., Johnson, S.M., & Denton, W.H. (2003). Emotion-focused therapy for couples in the treatment of depression: A pilot study. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 31, 345–353.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DiLillo, D., Lewis, T., & Loreto-Colgan, A.D. (2007). Child maltreatment history and subsequent romantic relationships: Exploring a psychological route to dyadic difficulties Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 15, 19–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DiLillo, D., Peugh, J., Walsh, K., Panuzio, J., Trask, E., & Evans, S. (2009). Child maltreatment history among newlywed couples: A longitudinal study of marital outcomes and mediating pathways. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 680–692.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edwards, V.J., Holden, G.W., Felitti, V.J., & Anda, R.F. (2003). Relationship between multiple forms of childhood maltreatment and adult mental health in community respondents: Results from the adverse childhood experiences study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 1453–1460CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dunlop, B.W., Hill, E., Johnson, B.N., Klein, D.N., Gelenberg, A.J., Rothbaum, B.O., … Kocsis, J.H. (2015). Mediators of sexual functioning and marital quality in chronically depressed adults with and without a history of childhood sexual abuse. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 12, 813–823.Google ScholarPubMed
Felitti, V.J., Anda, R.F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D.F., Spitz, A.M., Edwards, V., … Marks, J.S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14, 245–258.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fincham, F.D., & Linfield, K.J. (1997). A new look at marital quality: Can spouses feel positive and negative about their marriage? Journal of Family Psychology, 11, 489–502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fincham, F.D., & Rogge, R. (2010). Understanding relationship quality: Theoretical challenges and new tools for assessment. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 2, 227–242.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fine, M.A., & Fincham, F.D. (2013). Handbook of family theories: A content-based approach. New York, NY: RoutledgeCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Finkelhor, D., Vanderminden, J., Turner, H., Hamby, S., & Shattuck, A. (2014). Child maltreatment rates assessed in a national household survey of caregivers and youth. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38, 1421–1435.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gabriel, B., Beach, S.R., & Bodenmann, G. (2010). Depression, marital satisfaction and communication in couples: Investigating gender differences. Behavior Therapy, 41, 306–316.Google ScholarPubMed
Herr, N.R., Hammen, C., & Brennan, P.A. (2007). Current and past depression as predictors of family functioning: A comparison of men and women in a community sample. Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 694–702.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hu, L.T., & Bentler, P.M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55.Google Scholar
Kim, J. (2009). Type-specific intergenerational transmission of neglectful and physically abusive parenting behaviors among young parents. Children and Youth Services Review, 31, 761–767.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kline, R.B. (2015). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th ed.) New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Larson, J.H., & Holman, T.B. (1994). Premarital predictors of marital quality and stability. Family Relations, 43, 228–237.Google Scholar
Larsen, C.D., Sandberg, J.G., Harper, J.M., & Bean, R. (2011). The effects of childhood abuse on relationship quality: Gender differences and clinical implications. Family Relations, 60, 435–445.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nanni, V., Uher, R., & Danese, A. (2012). Childhood maltreatment predicts unfavorable course of illness and treatment outcome in depression: a meta-analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 169, 141–151.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Norton, R. (1983). Measuring marital quality: A critical look at the dependent variable. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45, 141–151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Papp, L.M., Kouros, C.D., & Cummings, E.M. (2010). Emotions in marital conflict interactions: Empathic accuracy, assumed similarity, and the moderating context of depressive symptoms. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27, 367–387.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Radloff, L.S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurements, 1, 385–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogge, R.D., Fincham, F.D., Crasta, D., & Maniaci, M.R. (2017). Positive and negative evaluation of relationships: Development and validation of the Positive–Negative Relationship Quality (PN-RQ) scale. Psychological Assessment, 29, 1028.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Runyan, D.K., Curtis, P.A., Hunter, W.M., Black, M.M., Kotch, J.B., Bangdiwala, S., … Landsverk, J. (1998). LONGSCAN: A consortium for longitudinal studies of maltreatment and the life course of children. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 3, 275–285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaefer, E.S., & Edgerton, M.E. (1982). Autonomy and Relatedness Inventory (Unpublished manuscript). School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Google Scholar
Sedlak, A.J., Mettenburg, J., Basena, M., Petta, I., McPherson, K., Greene, A., & Li, S. (2010). Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS–4): Report to Congress, Executive Summary. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.Google Scholar
Sharabi, L.L., Delaney, A.L., & Knobloch, L.K. (2016). In their own words: How clinical depression affects romantic relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 33, 421–448.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smilkstein, G. (1978). The Family APGAR: A proposal for family function test and its use by physicians. Journal of Family Practice, 6, 1231–1239.Google ScholarPubMed
Stith, S.M., Liu, T., Davies, L.C., Boykin, E.L., Alder, M.C., Harris, J.M., … Dees, J.E.M.E.G. (2009). Risk factors in child maltreatment: A meta-analytic review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 14, 13–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suliman, S., Mkabile, S.G., Fincham, D.S., Ahmed, R., Stein, D.J., & Seedat, S. (2009). Cumulative effect of multiple trauma on symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression in adolescents. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 50, 121–127.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Testa, M., VanZile-Tamsen, C., & Livingston, J.A. (2005). Childhood sexual abuse, relationship satisfaction, and sexual risk taking in a community sample of women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 1116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, E.C., Holman, T.B., & Busby, D.M. (2009). Childhood sexual abuse, other childhood factors, and pathways to survivors’ adult relationship quality. Journal of Family Violence, 24, 397–406.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whisman, M.A. (2006). Childhood trauma and marital outcomes in adulthood. Personal Relationships, 13, 375–386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Widom, C.S., DuMont, K., & Czaja, S.J. (2007). A prospective investigation of major depressive disorder and comorbidity in abused and neglected children grown up. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64, 49–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed