title: The effect of childhood trauma on later psychological adjustment.
abstract: This study examined whether adult attachment and cognitive distortion mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and psychological adjustment. The participants were 219 students (40 men and 117 women) enrolled in a university degree. Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, which assessed retrospective accounts of childhood trauma; the Relationships Scales Questionnaire, which measured two dimensions of adult attachment (model-of-self and model-of-other); the Cognitive Distortions Scale, which measured internal attributions and perceptions of controllability; and the Trauma Symptom Inventory, which assessed posttraumatic symptoms and was used in this study to measure psychological adjustment. Results supported the hypothesis that model-of-self and cognitive distortion are related constructs. The influence of model-of-self on psychological adjustment however was only via its effect on cognitive processes. In other words, a negative model-of-self influenced cognitive distortion, which in turn influenced the expression of symptoms in adults reporting a history of childhood trauma. The implications for therapy were considered.
authors.affiliation: Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Browne
authors.forename: Cecelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Winkelman
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000379:methods; D019962:Reactive Attachment Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012917:Social Adjustment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome