The Effects of Childhood Abuse on Relationship Quality: Gender Differences and Clinical Implications

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between self-reported childhood physical and sexual abuse, romantic relationship quality, possible gender differences, and clinical implications. Three hundred thirty-eight women and 296 men who sought services at a university mental health clinic in the northeast region of the United States completed a 30-minute self-report assessment questionnaire before their first therapy session. Among the items in the questionnaire were measures of childhood physical and sexual abuse, relationship stability, problem areas in the relationship, and other demographic information. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that childhood physical abuse influenced relationship quality for both men and women whereas childhood sexual abuse did not have a significant impact on relationship quality for either gender. The results of the study indicated that there may be more gender similarities than differences in experiences of childhood abuse and relationship quality than previous research has shown. Key Words: child abuse, marital quality, physical abuse, sexual abuse. The National Incidence Study IV (Sedlak et al., 2010) reported that an estimated 323,000 children were physically abused and 135,300 children were sexually abused between 2005 and 2006. Over the past few decades, numerous studies have been conducted on both the short-term and long-term negative effects that child abuse can have on the victim (Alpher & France, 1993; Braver, Bumberry, Green, & Rawson, 1992; Futa, Nash, Hansen, & Garbin, 2003; Springer, Sheridan, Kuo, & Cames, 2007). Most studies, however, have focused on the potential that the victim has for becoming a perpetrator as an adult (Wilcox, Richards, & O'Keeffe, 2004), for entering abusive romantic relationships (Griffing et al., 2005; Van Benschoten, 1995), or for abusing their own children (Hall, Sachs, & Rayens, 1998; Lawson, 2001). Within the existing research, multiple studies examined the relationship between childhood abuse and sexual satisfaction in marriage (Finkelhor, Hotaling, Lewis, & Smith, 1989; Leonard, Iverson, & Follette, 2008; Loeb et al., 2002), but few have examined the relationship between childhood abuse and the overall quality of the adult's committed romantic relationships (Alpert, Brown, & Courtois, 1998; Finkelhor et al., 1989). Additionally, few studies have focused on how gender impacts those long-term effects. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the frequency of childhood physical and sexual abuse and relationship quality, with a focus on possible gender differences and the clinical implications of any gender differences. Age and length of relationship were controlled to take into account the developmental stage of the relationship and recognize that a young married couple may be different from an old married couple. LITERATURE REVIEW Childhood Physical Abuse and the Psychosocial Consequences in Adulthood Childhood physical abuse has been found to have negative effects on adult mental and psychological functioning (Arata, Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Bowers, & O'Farrill-Swails, 2005; Springer et al., 2007; Styron & Janoff-Bulman, 1997; Swenson & Kolko, 2000). Individuals who experienced physical abuse in childhood were more likely to report physical illness, depression, anger, and anxiety than nonabused individuals (Springer et al., 2007). Childhood Sexual Abuse and the Psychosocial Consequences in Adulthood Childhood sexual abuse has also been associated with psychological and relational impairment in adult life (Alpert et al., 1998; Jesness, 2009; Sypeck, 2005; Wilcox et al., 2004). Research suggested that many adult survivors of sexual abuse had gone on to experience difficulty forming healthy relationships. These victims often blamed themselves for the abuse, which made it difficult to come to terms with the psychological, emotional, and social consequences ofthat type of violation. …