Km. Fox et Bo. Gilbert, THE INTERPERSONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING OF WOMEN WHO EXPERIENCED CHILDHOOD PHYSICAL ABUSE, INCEST, AND PARENTAL ALCOHOLISM, Child abuse & neglect, 18(10), 1994, pp. 849-858
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.