Rebuilding what has been ruined: Navigating the impacts of child maltreatment for romantic relationships and friendships in emerging adulthood

IF 3.4 2区心理学 Q1 FAMILY STUDIES

Child Abuse & Neglect Pub Date : 2025-05-07 DOI:10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107478

Sereena Pigeon , Mylène Fernet , Audrey Brassard , Rachel Langevin

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Child maltreatment (CM) can contribute to attachment insecurity, creating challenges to building supportive relationships that support growth and resilience in adulthood. Studies have focused on understanding how CM survivors adapt to the impacts of CM for their family-of-origin relationships or parenting, but fewer have explored chosen relationships.

Objective

This study seeks to fill this gap by exploring how emerging adults with CM histories subjectively experience, understand, and cope with the impacts of CM for their friendships and romantic relationships.

Participants and setting

The sample consisted of 23 emerging adults (18 to 25 years old) with a CM history, living in Canada.

Methods

Participants were invited for semi-structured interviews documenting CM and interpersonal experiences. A hybrid thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes and subthemes.

Results

Three overarching themes emerged, each dealing with broken trust: 1) Internal experiences stemming from CM preventing trust, 2) Coping with broken trust by protecting oneself, and 3) Learning how to build trust in others and themselves.

Conclusions

Emerging adults described interpersonal challenges stemming from broken trust caused by CM and maintained by internal experiences of fear, longing, guilt, and shame. Coping through avoidance, isolation, and dominance over others further maintained distrust. However, emerging adults undertook a learning process, involving attempts to engage with others, recognize patterns of abuse, and practice behavioural changes. Future research should explore the role of chosen relationships, especially friends, in mental health interventions and efforts to foster greater social support and stronger community among emerging adults with CM.

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重建被毁的东西：引导儿童虐待对刚成年的浪漫关系和友谊的影响

儿童虐待会导致依恋不安全感，给建立支持成年后成长和适应能力的支持性关系带来挑战。研究的重点是了解CM幸存者如何适应CM对其原生家庭关系或养育方式的影响，但探索选择关系的研究较少。目的本研究旨在通过探索有CM历史的新兴成人如何主观体验、理解和应对CM对他们的友谊和浪漫关系的影响来填补这一空白。参与者和设置样本包括23名居住在加拿大的有CM病史的新兴成年人（18至25岁）。方法采用半结构式访谈，记录CM和人际交往经历。进行混合主题分析以确定主题和副主题。结果三个主要的主题，每个主题都涉及信任破裂：1)CM阻止信任的内部经验，2)通过保护自己来应对信任破裂，3)学习如何建立对他人和自己的信任。结论初出期成人描述的人际关系挑战源于CM引起的信任破裂，并由恐惧、渴望、内疚和羞耻的内部体验维持。通过回避、孤立和支配他人来应对，进一步维持了不信任。然而，初出期的成年人经历了一个学习过程，包括尝试与他人交往，识别虐待模式，并练习行为改变。未来的研究应该探索所选择的关系，特别是朋友，在心理健康干预和努力促进更大的社会支持和更强大的社区中的作用。

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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来源期刊

Child Abuse & Neglect Multiple-

CiteScore

7.40

自引率

10.40%

发文量

397

期刊介绍： Official Publication of the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. Child Abuse & Neglect The International Journal, provides an international, multidisciplinary forum on all aspects of child abuse and neglect, with special emphasis on prevention and treatment; the scope extends further to all those aspects of life which either favor or hinder child development. While contributions will primarily be from the fields of psychology, psychiatry, social work, medicine, nursing, law enforcement, legislature, education, and anthropology, the Journal encourages the concerned lay individual and child-oriented advocate organizations to contribute.