Consequences of Childhood Abuse on Well-Being in Early Adulthood: A Focus on Adolescent Protective Factors

• In Event: Consequences of Victimization on Health and Well-Being

Abstract

Childhood abuse is known to carry many consequences over the life course, yet little is known about why some victims of abuse fare better than others later in life. Accordingly, this study explores whether various individual, family, and neighborhood factors in adolescence mitigate the harms of child abuse in early adulthood. Data from Waves I and III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) are used, and multivariate regression models are estimated to: (1) evaluate the strength of the relationships between childhood physical abuse and various negative consequences in early adulthood (i.e., violent behavior, depressive symptoms, and low self-esteem); and (2) determine whether intelligence, family attachments, and neighborhood conditions in adolescence help protect victims of childhood abuse from experiencing these negative outcomes. The results and their implications for future research will be discussed.

Authors

• Julie Kuper, Florida State University

• Jillian Turanovic, Florida State University