Factors contributing to the long-term adjustment of college women abused as children

The current study examines psychological correlates of childhood maltreatment, including adult attachment, attributional style, perceived family environment, and current social support and demonstrates their main effects and interactions for predicting long-term psychological distress. Further, this study expands upon past research by broadly defining childhood maltreatment to include sexual, physical, and psychological aspects of maltreatment. This perspective enables the examination of abuse main effects as well as the interactional effect of the various types of abuse.

Three hundred and twenty college women completed the Family Experiences Survey, Conflict Tactics Scale, Childhood Maltreatment Interview - Revised, Social Support Questionnaire, Insecure Attachment Inventory, Bell Object Relations Reality Testing Inventory, Mental Health Inventory, and Brief Symptom Inventory. One hundred and twenty eight women reported a history of maltreatment.