Poster #138 - Childhood Trauma, Relational Attachment, and Mentalization

• In Event: 1-169 - Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

The effects of traumatic experiences in childhood has been observed from a variety of theoretical orientations, and the present study seeks to understand the long-term effect of childhood trauma on mental state identification and interpersonal experience and function from a complex trauma and attachment theory based approach. Research has shown that individuals who report early caregiver-related trauma are more likely to endorse relationship problems, dissatisfaction, separation, divorce, and higher rates of infidelity (Paradis and Boucher, 2010; Watson and Halford, 2010; Colman and Widom, 2004). Women with a history of childhood sexual trauma also report significantly low scores on dyadic adjustment (Dalton, Greenman, Classen, & Johnson, 2013). In the present study it is hypothesized that childhood trauma will predict relational attachment insecurity, relational dissatisfaction, and mentalization capacity. Furthermore it is hypothesized that mentalization abilities will mediate the effect between childhood trauma and relational experiences and attachment. Three different measures of trauma were administered: the Adverse Childhood Experiences scale [ACE] (Felitti et al, 1998), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire [CTQ] (Bernstein, 2003), and the Traumatic Events Screening Inventory [TESI] (Ribbe, 1996). Two of these three trauma scales exclusively measure childhood trauma, while the TESI is open ended. To measure the ability to identify mental states in others (a component of mentalization) one social cognitive measure was administered: the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task [RMET] (Baron-Cohen, 2001). Two measures of relational attachment experiences were also administered: the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised scale [ECR-R] _Frayley, 2000) , and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale [DAS] (Spanier, 1976). The ECR measures relational attachment, and the DAS measures relationship experiences such as levels of satisfaction and cohesion. Within the main sample (N=91), 56 participants indicated being in a committed, romantic relationship and were thus placed in the Dyadic Adjustment Scale condition while 35 participants were not in a committed, romantic relationship and did not receive the DAS. The ages of participants ranged from 20-70, M=30. The gender identification of participants were 76.9% Female, 20.9% Male, and 2.2% non-binary. The sample was 73% Caucasian, 15.4% Asian, 7.7% Hispanic, 2% Indian, and 1% African American. Results from linear regression analyses indicate that overall experiences of childhood trauma predict relational attachment anxiety and avoidance, and poorer relationship satisfaction. Childhood trauma and relational attachment were also correlated and predictive of patterns of relationship status and history, as well as RMET accuracy. Results from the TESI (which is not specific to childhood trauma experiences) did not yield significant results with the RMET; indicating that only childhood trauma impacted mentalization abilities. Relational attachment, mental state identification, and satisfaction in relationships were also linked. RMET accuracy was not found to be a mediator between the effects of childhood trauma and relational experiences. Implications for future work could be to reanalyze the sample with more advanced statistical procedures to test for an inverse mediation, or recreating the study using other mentalization measures as the RMET measures a very low level order processing of mentalizing abilities.

Author

• Marissa O'Connor, The New School for Social Research
  Presenting Author