Partner betrayal trauma and trust: Understanding the impact on attachment style and self-esteem

Abstract

Dismissal of an individual's emotional experience by their significant others can have a massive impact on the psychological well-being of the individual. Betrayal trauma discusses the prevalent social phenomenon and its short- as well as long-term impacts on an individual. This study focused on betrayal trauma in romantic relationships. It aimed to find its relation with an individual's self-esteem and attachment styles, with trust as a mediating variable. The tools used in the study- were the partner betrayal trauma trust scale, adult attachment scale and self-esteem scale, each of which was a self-report measurement scale circulated among young adults in the Indian population. The study consisted of 140 participants (n = 140) with a mean age of 21.7 and a standard deviation (SD) of 2.05. The participants included 85% female, 16% male, 3% of the participants identified as genderfluid, and 2% of the participants preferred not to mention their gender. The results from the study show that betrayal trauma in romantic relationships is related to an individual's attachment style and self-esteem. A positive significant correlation was found between betrayal trauma, self-esteem and attachment style, which reveals the impact of betrayal trauma on the psychological well-being of an individual. These findings may aid mental health practitioners in helping young adults resolve their relationship crises and enhance their lifestyles in India.