Between Childhood Maltreatment and Shame

Abstract

One of the most devastating long-term outcomes of childhood maltreatment is a sense of shame, which is connected to distress and reduced well-being. The aim of the current study was to examine a dual-path model and to test the relations between childhood maltreatment, shame, and well-being as mediated by both self-objectification and a sense of disrupted body boundaries among 531 female college/university students living in Israel. Results from the structural equation modeling analyses indicated that both self-objectification and disrupted body boundaries significantly mediated the association between childhood maltreatment and sense of shame. In addition, both were associated with reduced levels of well-being, through the mediating role of shame. Finally, we discuss the role these paths may play in the detrimental long-term effects of childhood maltreatment and how they may be targeted in clinical interventions for adult survivors.