title: Self-esteem of young adults experiencing interparental violence and child physical maltreatment: parental and peer relationships as mediators.
abstract: This study examined the joint impact of experiencing both interparental violence and child physical maltreatment on young adults' self-esteem. It also tested the hypothesis of parental and peer relationship qualities as mediators in the relationship between childhood histories of family violence and adult self-esteem. Data were collected from a national probability sample of 1,924 college students in Taiwan. Research results demonstrated that experiencing both interparental violence and physical maltreatment during childhood have long-term and detrimental impact on adult self-esteem. This impact was statistically independent of other potential confounding factors. Moreover, participants experiencing dual violence during childhood reported lower self-esteem than those experiencing only one type of family violence or none at all. Male participants who experienced dual violence reported lower self-esteem than female participants who experienced dual violence. Further analyses revealed that parental and peer relationship qualities mediated the joint impact of interparental violence and physical maltreatment on adult self-esteem.
authors.affiliation: National Taiwan University, Taiwan. acshen@ntu.edu.tw
authors.forename: April Chiung-Tao
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010379:Peer Group; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult