Cumulative Contribution of Child Maltreatment to Emotional Experience and Regulatory Intent in Intimate Adult Interactions |
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| Authors: | Sabrina R Liu Marc S Schulz Robert J Waldinger |
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| Institution: | 1. Laboratory of Adult Development, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USAsliu@education.ucsb.edu;3. Department of Psychology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, USA;4. Laboratory of Adult Development, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
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| Abstract: | This study examined the link between experiencing multiple types of child maltreatment and intentions to control emotion during charged discussions with intimate partners in adulthood, and whether the link is mediated by intensity of negative emotions. Using video recall, 97 couples rated their levels of emotions and intentions to control emotion during charged discussions with partners. Number of types of child maltreatment reported was linked with effort to control emotion, and the relationship was partially mediated by intensity of participants’ feelings of hostility. For men, the link was also partially mediated by self-reported sadness and anxiety. Findings underscore the importance of attending to abuse survivors’ experiences of and attempts to manage intense emotions in treatment, particularly in couples therapy. |
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| Keywords: | childhood trauma child maltreatment couples emotion processing emotion regulation long-term effects multitype maltreatment video recall |
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