The Impact Psychological Child Abuse has on Future Relationships

Psychological Child Abuse in Future Relationships

SFL 351
February 27, 2017
The Impact Psychological Child Abuse has on Future Relationships

Introduction

What impact does psychological child abuse have on adolescence and how does that

influence future relationships? Psychological (or emotional) abuse is the failure to provide a

supportive environment by, for example, verbally threatening the child. (Norman RE, Byambaa

M, De R, Butchart A, Scott J, Vos T. 2012) When psychological abuse takes place early on in a

children life, they are more prone to develop disorders such as depression or anxiety. Child

emotionally abused is at higher risk for be the abuser late on in life and having the conflict arise

in relationships with other. Overall, we learn that psychological abuse on children early on in life

has a large impact on future relationships with others be it family members, friends, significant

others ext. As many individuals can attest too, the effects of psychological abuse as a child has Commented [LJ1]: Purpose of paper: this paper will
explore how psychological abuse on children affects future
relationships.
played a huge role in the way they are now.

Body

In a recent study done, researchers gathered a sample of seven hundred and eighty seven

participants ranging from thirty three to eighty three years of age. The study focused most on the

kind of relationship each child had with their parent. After five years of carrying out this project,

researchers concluded that, Adult daughters who recalled more childhood emotional abuse from

their mother reported a higher average level of daily emotional distress nearly a decade later. The

association between network stress and emotional distress was significant. (Poon, C. , & Knight,
B. 2012) With emotional abuse as a child plays a large role in the impact it has on the future,
many who have been psychologically abused in the past, are more likely to have mental and
emotional instability in the future. Scholars have found that, Individuals with greater childhood
Commented [LJ2]: Although this is a really good quote,
because this is such a short lit review, youll want to
paraphrase the research instead of use direct quotes. Its
hard because the research has so much to offer, and there
is just limited space to spend on the details. So instead of
discussing the research method and quoting the source, try
paraphrasing it in your own words in one or two sentences.
Try to apply this throughout your paper.

emotional abuse severity experience greater increases in depressive symptoms when confronted

with current dependent stressors, controlling for childhood physical and sexual abuse. (Shapero,
The Impact Psychological Child Abuse has on Future Relationships

B. , Black, S. , Liu, R. Klugman, J. , Bender, R. , et al. 2014) Depression has become much more

common through the years. Childhood abuse is a traumatic life event that may cause psychiatric
disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. (Ozbaran, B. , Erermis, S. ,
Bukusoglu, N. , Bildik, T. , Tamar, M. , et al. 2009) In a longitudinal design carried out just four
Commented [LJ3]: This seems to be a new idea, separate
from the rest of the paragraph up to this point. If you want
it to stay in this paragraph, see if you can rewrite it in a way
that clearly shows how it connects to the rest of the
paragraph, something like, Depression is an example of an
emotional instability that can develop as a result of abuse.

years ago, Meretti and Graig concluded that adolescence may be a sensitive developmental

period wherein abuse experiences have profound direct and mediated influences on the risk for

later depression. (Moretti, M. , & Craig, S. 2013)
Along with depression, children who are psychologically abused at a young age are at
greater risk for other clinical disorders. Neurobiological research has shown that early abuse
results in an altered physiological response to stressful stimuli, a response that deleteriously
Commented [LJ4]: As you exchange these quotes with
your own words, be sure to end each paragraph with a
sentence that is your own (without a reference). Use this
sentence to summarize the main idea of the paragraph.
Commented [LJ5]: This is an example of a good transition!
You mention what you were just talking about, and use it to
move on to your next main idea. Be sure to have a transition
sentence like this at the beginning of each paragraph.

affects the child's subsequent socialization. (Stirling, J. , & Amaya-Jackson, L. 2008) Our

mental response to such instances result in a number of possible disorders down the road. A

study carried out by scholars at San Diego State University, wanted to determine the correlation
of psychological maltreatment and the characteristics that played into it. Two different groups
Commented [LJ6]: Again, instead of getting into the
details of a particular study and quoting the source, explain
the conclusion of the research in your own words with just a
sentence or two. This will also help with concision.

that were focused on were emotional abuse and emotional neglect. Researchers found that

Cases of PMT (single form) were more chronic and associated with greater adverse emotional

impact than other forms of maltreatment. Mothers of psychologically maltreated children had

more mental health issues. Emotional neglect cases were more complex (e.g., substance abuse,

mental health, and social housing). (Chamberland, C. , Chamberland, . , Fallon, B. , Black, T. ,

Trocme, N. , et al. 2012)

Often referred to as CEA (childhood emotional abuse), many have found that the impact

of such produces long lasting impairments in interpersonal relatedness and identity, often

referred to as self-capacities. (Bigras, N. , Godbout, N. , Hbert, M. , Runtz, M. , & Daspe, M.

The Impact Psychological Child Abuse has on Future Relationships

2015) In a study carried out to understand the mechanisms that link early maltreatment to later

outcomes, researchers observed the mediation effects of adult attachment on the association

between childhood emotional abuse and later romantic relationships. One hundred and fifty five

dating couple where chosen and asked to complete a Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. After

gathering the data found, the results indicated that memories of childhood emotional abuse

reported by both students and their partners were significantly associated with attachment

strategies, as well as romantic relationships quality. (Riggs, S. , Riggs, . , Cusimano, A. &
Benson, K. 2011) When it comes to the relationships children have with their parents, it is
important to keep in mind the kind of impact parents have on their children. The way children
are nurtured during adolescence plays a huge role in the type of person they are when it comes to
relationships down the road. In a recent article, researchers wanted to see the correlation between
Commented [LJ7]: Heres an example of how this could
begin to be paraphrased: People who remember being
emotionally abused as children From here you would
need to understand the research enough to explain the
conclusion in your own words. I dont understand it, so I had
to stop! Haha. But youve read it, so hopefully this at least
gives you an idea of how you can present this information
more concisely.
Commented [LJ8]: Something like this would be a good
transition sentence at the beginning of this paragraph.

children that had strong and healthy relationships with there parents verses those that were often

emotional, physical or mentally abused at some point of time, and how those relationship

effected them in there future intimate relationships. A sample of three hundred and fifty six

adults where gathers and asked a number of questions, each directed to there relationships with

parental growing up and there relation with there spouse now. Their findings resulted in that,

emotional abuse predicated adult outcomes both directly and indirectly. (Jung, H. ,

Herrenkohl, T. , Lee, J. , Klika, J. , & Skinner, M. 2015). Eighty two percent of those that were

psychologically abused as an adolescence, showed that they were emotionally instable in their

relationships now due to the past.

Conclusion

When psychological abuse takes place in adolescents, we can conclude from data

gathered that it plays a huge role in future relationships with family, friends, ext. When
The Impact Psychological Child Abuse has on Future Relationships

emotional abuse takes place at a young age, emerging adults are more likely to have disorders

such as depression or anxiety, are prone to continue to take psychological abuse or be one who is

the abuser which ultimately the individual is at a much higher risk in having conflict within there

relationships. Although there is much more out there to increase our knowledge on, we can

conclude that the majority of those who were or have been psychologically abused as a child, is

greatly effected by it today and the way they interact with others. Commented [LJ9]: Good conclusion; make sure these
points are also clear in your first paragraph, and make sure
each of your body paragraphs clearly address the issues you
present here.

References
The Impact Psychological Child Abuse has on Future Relationships

Bigras, N. , Godbout, N. , Hbert, M. , Runtz, M. , & Daspe, M. (2015). Identity and relatedness

as mediators between child emotional abuse and adult couple adjustment in women.

Child Abuse & Neglect, 50, 85.

Chamberland, C. , Chamberland, . , Fallon, B. , Black, T. , Trocme, N. , et al. (2012). Correlates

of substantiated emotional maltreatment in the second canadian incidence study. Journal

of Family Violence, 27(3), 201.

Jung, H. , Herrenkohl, T. , Lee, J. , Klika, J. , & Skinner, M. (2015). Effects of physical and

emotional child abuse and its chronicity on crime into adulthood. , 30(6), 1004.

Moretti, M. , & Craig, S. (2013). Maternal versus paternal physical and emotional abuse, affect

regulation and risk for depression from adolescence to early adulthood. Child Abuse &

Neglect, 37(1), 4-13.

Norman RE, Byambaa M, De R, Butchart A, Scott J, Vos T (2012) The Long-Term Health

Consequences of Child Physical Abuse, Emotional Abuse, and Neglect: A Systematic

Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS Med 9(11): e1001349.

doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001349

Ozbaran, B. , Erermis, S. , Bukusoglu, N. , Bildik, T. , Tamar, M. , et al. (2009). Social and

emotional outcomes of child sexual abuse: A clinical sample in turkey. Journal of

Interpersonal Violence, 24(9), 1478-1493.

Poon, C. , & Knight, B. (2012). Emotional reactivity to network stress in middle and late

adulthood: The role of childhood parental emotional abuse and support. The

Gerontologist, 52(6), 782.

The Impact Psychological Child Abuse has on Future Relationships

Riggs, S. , Riggs, . , Cusimano, A. , & Benson, K. (2011). Childhood emotional abuse and

attachment processes in the dyadic adjustment of dating couples. Journal of Counseling

Psychology, 58(1), 126.

Shapero, B. , Black, S. , Liu, R. , Klugman, J. , Bender, R. , et al. (2014). Stressful life events and

depression symptoms: The effect of childhood emotional abuse on stress

reactivity. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 70(3), 209.

Stirling, J. , & Amaya-Jackson, L. (2008). Understanding the behavioral and emotional

consequences of child abuse. Pediatrics, 122(3), 667.