Childhood Abuse and Neglect and its Effect on Interpersonal Relationships in Adulthood

Abstract

This study examined the effects of child abuse and neglect’s effects on interpersonal relationships in adulthood. Substantial research has been done that shows that childhood maltreatment has adverse, lasting effects on the child, both internally and on their relationship building abilities. This was a between-subjects design and utilized archival data in order to study these effects. Four research questions were posed that examined social support and romantic relationship quality in childhood, young adulthood, and middle adulthood. The data for these questions was collected via self-report measures. The results found that individuals who have experienced childhood maltreatment have less social support and lower quality romantic relationships than those from the control group. This carries implications that individuals maltreated in their childhood do struggle with building relationships. These results should be utilized to put forth further research concerning other forms of maltreatment and to create interventions for maltreated individuals to find more security in their relationships. Keywords: Abuse, neglect, interpersonal relationships, maltreatment, social support, romantic relationships