title: Disengaged parenting: Structural equation modeling with child abuse, insecure attachment, and adult symptomatology.
abstract: Based on attachment theory, we hypothesized that self-reported childhood experiences of disengaged parenting (DP) would predict adults' psychological symptoms even more than, on average, childhood sexual, physical, or psychological abuse. In a large (N=640) university sample, bootstrapped multiple regression analyses indicated that although various forms of child maltreatment were correlated with symptomatology at the univariate level, DP was the primary multivariate predictor. Structural equation modeling indicated significant direct paths from (a) DP to both nonsexual child maltreatment and sexual abuse, (b) DP and nonsexual child maltreatment to insecure attachment, and (c) sexual abuse and insecure attachment to symptomatology. There were significant indirect effects of DP on psychological symptoms through sexual and nonsexual abuse, as well as through attachment. These results suggest that although child abuse has direct and indirect impacts on psychological symptoms, exposure to DP may be especially detrimental, both by increasing the risk of child abuse and by virtue of its impacts on attachment insecurity. They also support the potential use of attachment-oriented intervention in the treatment of adults maltreated as children.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Psychological Trauma Program, Keck School of Medicine, 2250 Alcazar, Suite 2200, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States. Electronic address: jbriere@usc.edu.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Briere
authors.affiliation: University of Victoria, Department of Psychology, P.O. Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada. Electronic address: runtz@uvic.ca.
authors.forename: Marsha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Runtz
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada. Electronic address: drerineadie@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eadie
authors.affiliation: University of Quebec at Montreal, Departments of Sexology and Psychology, 455 René Levesque East, Montreal, QC, H2L 4Y2, Canada. Electronic address: bigras.noemie@courrier.uqam.ca.
authors.forename: Noémie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bigras
authors.affiliation: University of Quebec at Montreal, Departments of Sexology and Psychology, 455 René Levesque East, Montreal, QC, H2L 4Y2, Canada. Electronic address: godbout.natacha@uqam.ca.
authors.forename: Natacha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Godbout
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000069586:Adult Survivors of Child Adverse Events / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009769:Object Attachment; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D057566:Self Report
keywords: Attachment; Child abuse; Disengaged parenting; Structural equation modeling