THE INTERPERSONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING OF WOMEN WHO EXPERIENCED CHILDHOOD PHYSICAL ABUSE, INCEST, AND PARENTAL ALCOHOLISM

Questionnaires assessing childhood physical abuse (CPA), childhood inc est (CI), and parental alcoholism (ACOA) were completed by 253 college women from introductory psychology classes at a large midwestern univ ersity. The relationship between these variables and the level of depr ession, self-esteem and involvement with physically abusive, sexually assaultive, sexually coercive, and chemically dependent partners was a ssessed. Support was found for an additive model of trauma that predic ted a relationship between number of childhood traumas and adult outco mes. Limited support was found for a specificity model of trauma that predicted that specific childhood trauma would be predictive of parall el negative adult outcomes.