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PSYCHOLOGICAL MALTREATMENT: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEVERITY, SELF-DIRECTED EMOTIONS, AND ADJUSTMENT

Kobielski, Sarah J
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1162878518

Abstract Details

2006, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, Psychology/Clinical.
Psychological maltreatment poses a serious risk to developing children, yet few studies have undertaken the task of understanding the nature by which this type of maltreatment exerts a negative influence. The current study provides an important step in furthering this understanding by examining how different dimensions of psychological maltreatment (i.e., frequency, severity, and subtype) and self-directed emotions help to explain the relationship between psychological maltreatment and psychological adjustment. Towards this goal, 355 college students reported on the frequency with which they experienced various psychologically maltreating behaviors in childhood, the extent of self-directed anger and shame they felt when asked to think about their own experiences with psychological maltreatment, current aspects of psychological adjustment, and whether they had ever been subjected to four types of maltreatment (i.e., sexual, physical, witness to parental violence, and neglect) in childhood. Severity scores for students’ psychological maltreatment experiences were calculated on the basis of ratings provided by 177 professionals in the field of child/family mental health. These results highlight the importance of examining different dimensions of psychological maltreatment when attempting to demonstrate how this type of maltreatment can impact subsequent adjustment. We discovered that knowing both the frequency and severity of psychological maltreatment experiences enhances our ability to understand the relationship between maltreatment and adjustment outcomes, and, that certain types of psychological maltreatment were better than others at predicting different aspects of psychological adjustment. Additionally, we discovered a unique way of categorizing different types of psychological maltreatment. Previous studies have focused on identifying different forms of psychological maltreatment, but the current study revealed a conceptual shift in how distinct types of psychological maltreatment can be identified. Lastly, we discovered that self-directed emotions appear to be an important process by which all types of psychological maltreatment affect different types of adjustment outcomes. In particular, self-directed anger and shame helped to explain the relationship between psychological maltreatment and psychological adjustment. The study’s implications and limitations are discussed, as well as directions for future research.
Valerie Simon (Advisor)
PSYCHOLOGICAL MALTREATMENT; Severity Ratings; maltreatment experiences; Blatant Disregard

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kobielski, S. J. (2006). PSYCHOLOGICAL MALTREATMENT: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEVERITY, SELF-DIRECTED EMOTIONS, AND ADJUSTMENT [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1162878518

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kobielski, Sarah. PSYCHOLOGICAL MALTREATMENT: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEVERITY, SELF-DIRECTED EMOTIONS, AND ADJUSTMENT. 2006. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1162878518.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kobielski, Sarah. "PSYCHOLOGICAL MALTREATMENT: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEVERITY, SELF-DIRECTED EMOTIONS, AND ADJUSTMENT." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1162878518

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1162878518
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© 2006, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.