The impact of childhood abuse on adult self-esteem and emotional regulation

Introduction The occurrence of traumatic experiences in childhood can lead to a disruption in the development of secure internal representations, with a negative impact on self-esteem [1 Liu C, Chen X, Song P, et al. Relationship between childhood emotional abuse and self-esteem: a dual mediation model of attachment. Soc Behav Pers. 2018;46(5):793–800.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]]. In addition, child victimisation may compromise their emotional regulation skills [2 Bretherton I, Mulholland KA. Internal working models in attachment relationships: elaborating a central construct in attachment theory. In: Cassidy J, Shaver PR, editors. Handbook of attachment: theory, research and clinical applications. 2nd ed. New York: Guildford Press; 2008. p. 102–127. [Google Scholar]] and it has been shown that individuals with lower self-esteem have less emotional regulation skills [3 Garofalo C, Holden CJ, Zeigler‐Hill V, et al. Understanding the connection between self‐esteem and aggression: the mediating role of emotion dysregulation. Aggr Behav. 2016;42(1):3–15.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]]. Studies with adults showed that those who suffered several types of abuse during childhood tend to have worse interpersonal relationships [4 Pepin EN, Banyard VL. Social support: a mediator between child maltreatment and developmental outcomes. J Youth Adolescence. 2006;35(4):612–625.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]]. This research has the main goals, to identify the relationship between the impact of childhood abuse on adult self-esteem and emotional regulation, and the relationship between self-esteem and emotional regulation. This is the first study in a Portuguese sample that integrates those variables.Materials and methods The study design is descriptive, observational, and cross-sectional. The sample was composed of 96 Portuguese adults (over 18 years old) (M = 27.95 years, SD = 11.60). The participants answered online to a sociodemographic questionnaire, Portuguese versions of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) [5 Dias A, Sales L, Carvalho A, et al. Estudo de propriedades psicométricas do questionário de trauma de infância – Versão breve numa amostra portuguesa não clínica. Laboratório de Psicologia. 2013;11(2):103–120. [Google Scholar]], the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) [6 Coutinho J, Ribeiro E, Ferreirinha R, et al. Versão portuguesa da escala de dificuldades de regulação emocional e sua relação com sintomas psicopatológicos. Rev Psiquiatr Clín. 2010;37(4):145–151.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]], and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) [7 Santos PJ, Maia J. Análise factorial confirmatória e validação preliminar de uma versão portuguesa da escala de auto-estima de Rosenberg. Psicologia: Teoria, Investigação e Prática. 2003;8(2):253–268. [Google Scholar]]. The link to the study was disclosed by e-mail and in social networks. The study was conducted in accordance with all the ethical principles.Results We found significant statistical positive correlations between the total score of the CTQ and the total score of the DERS (r = 0.422, p<.001) and the sub-scales of DERS: the not acceptance of emotional responses (r = 0.311, p=.002), difficulties engaging in goal-directed behaviour (r = 0.243, p=.017), impulse control difficulties (r = 0.431, p<.001)), limited access to emotion regulation strategies (r = 0.465, p<.001), and lack of emotional clarity (r = 0.209, p=.041). Furthermore, we observed statistical negative correlations between the total score of RSES and the total score of the CTQ (r=–0.319, p=.002), the total score of the DERS (r=–0.561, p<.001) and the sub-scales of DERS: the not acceptance of emotional responses (r=–0.413, p<.001), difficulties engaging in goal-directed behaviour (r=–0.336, p=.001), impulse control difficulties (r=–0.373, p<.001), limited access to emotion regulation strategies (r=–0.508, p<.001), and lack of emotional clarity (r = −0.542, p<.001).Discussion and conclusions In our study, traumatic experiences in childhood were associated with emotional regulation difficulties in adults, which is corroborated by other studies [2 Bretherton I, Mulholland KA. Internal working models in attachment relationships: elaborating a central construct in attachment theory. In: Cassidy J, Shaver PR, editors. Handbook of attachment: theory, research and clinical applications. 2nd ed. New York: Guildford Press; 2008. p. 102–127. [Google Scholar]]. Additionally, we found that individuals who were victimised in childhood tend to have a perception of lower self-esteem in adult life. The relationship between child abuse and self-esteem and also between child abuse and the emotional regulation difficulties proves the need to develop psychological intervention aiming to enhance the positive self-esteem and the adaptative emotional skills in adulthood. This research highlights the importance of developing intervention programs in victimised children, to reduce the impact of victimisation on self-esteem and emotional regulation.