The Relationship of Physical Discipline and Psychological Maltreatment in Childhood to the use of Dysfunctinal Tension-Reducing Behaviors in Adulthood: the Mediating Role of Self-Capacities

The utility of Self-Trauma Theory for explaining the long-term impact of the experience of childhood physical discipline &/or psychological maltreatment was examined. Specifically, the self-capacities of interpersonal relatedness, identity, & affect regulation were tested as mediators of the impact of child maltreatment on different tension-reducing behaviours in adulthood: substance use, aggression, & suicidality. Heirarchical regression analyses were used to examine data collected from 268 university students. Identity impairment & affect dysregulation fully mediated the relationship between child maltreatment & current suicidality. Theoretical implications are discussed as well as directions for future research.