Childhood maltreatment and the quality of marital relationships: Examining mediating pathways and gender differences

Shireen Sokar
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Abstract

Background: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is considered a traumatic experience with long-term adverse effects on the quality of adult intimate relationships. Research on the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon among Arab societies is scarce. Objective: This study investigated the impact of childhood physical abuse (PA) and emotional abuse (EA) on the quality of marital relationships. Additionally, it examined the mediating roles of two dimensions of insecure adult attachment (i.e., avoidant and anxious) to a romantic partner and psychological distress within gender-specific models. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a representative sample of 604 married Arab adults ( M age = 33.5, SD = 6.52; 50.1% women) in Israel using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Childhood PA was significantly related to low levels of relationship quality among men and women. For men, childhood PA was positively related to psychological distress and both patterns of romantic attachment styles, which in turn were negatively associated with relationship quality. For women, childhood PA was positively associated with psychological distress and avoidant attachment, correlating with low levels of relationship quality. Conclusion: A retrospective assessment of childhood PA is associated with decreased levels of marital relationship quality for men and women. This association is mediated by psychological distress and romantic attachment styles. Implications: Implementing interventions focused on improving mental health and promoting a secure romantic attachment style can enhance the quality of marital relationships for adults with CM experiences.
童年虐待与婚姻关系的质量:研究中介途径和性别差异
背景:童年虐待(CM)被认为是一种创伤经历,会对成人亲密关系的质量产生长期不利影响。在阿拉伯社会中,有关这一现象背后机制的研究还很少。研究目的本研究调查了童年身体虐待(PA)和情感虐待(EA)对婚姻关系质量的影响。此外,研究还探讨了成人对恋爱伴侣的不安全依恋(即回避型和焦虑型)的两个维度与心理困扰在特定性别模型中的中介作用。研究方法使用自填式问卷对以色列 604 名已婚阿拉伯成年人(中位年龄 = 33.5,标准差 = 6.52;50.1% 为女性)进行了横断面调查。结果显示在男性和女性中,童年 PA 与低水平的人际关系质量明显相关。对于男性来说,童年 PA 与心理困扰和两种浪漫依恋方式呈正相关,而这两种依恋方式又与人际关系质量呈负相关。对于女性来说,童年 PA 与心理困扰和回避型依恋呈正相关,与低水平的关系质量相关。结论对童年 PA 的回顾性评估与男性和女性婚姻关系质量水平的下降有关。这种关联通过心理困扰和浪漫型依恋方式来调节。影响:实施以改善心理健康和促进安全的浪漫依恋风格为重点的干预措施,可以提高有 CM 经历的成年人的婚姻关系质量。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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