1. Introduction Results Discussion Hypotheses Method
Effects of Adverse Life Events in Childhood on Internal Feelings about Romantic Relationships in Adulthood
Samantha R. Rohrbacher & David E. Szwedo
James Madison University
Samantha Rohrbacher
Introduction
Measures
Adverse Childhood Experiences (Birth-age 18) Assessed the participants’ childhood life experiences. The participants completed the Adverse Childhood Experience Questionnaire at age 27; they responded based on the experiences from birth to age 18.
Implicit Attitudes About Self (age 18) The measure tested for levels of self-worth by comparing the response times of participants when presented with words that explain associations with their self as worthless versus valuable. The longer the response time, the more incompatible the two stimuli are to one another to the responding participant.
Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire (age 21) Questionnaire that assesses the facets of emotional expressivity (i.e., negative, positive, and overall expressivity) on a “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” scale. This study specifically used the overall expressivity scale.
Network of Relationships Inventory (age 27) Participants and their romantic partners completed a survey including a variety of scales that reflect the participants’ and the romantic partners’ feelings about and for the relationship. This study specifically used the instrumental aid, companionship, affection, admiration, satisfaction, intimacy, and support scale.
Relationship Experiences Questionnaire (age 27) Participants and their romantic partners are given words in which they rate each other on “giving” and “getting” scales (i.e., possessiveness).
There is a significant connection between negative childhood events and long-term mental health problems (Anda, Edwards, Felitti, & Holden, 2003).
Children who experience adverse life events (i.e., childhood emotional abuse) are shown to be six times more likely to be involved in complications during romantic relationships in adulthood (McCarthy & Taylor, 1999).
If people alter their perception of their satisfaction level in a relationship, their levels of commitment to the relationship changes. This suggests that the perception and internal feelings people have about their relationship are significant factors in relationship outcome (Barnes, Brown, Campbell, Krusemark, & Rogge, 2007).
Adolescents are more prone to be emotionally expressive when a supportive reaction is anticipated; parents are the providers of important and meaningful sources of information about the world emotionally, and set the stage for the level of emotional expression of their children (Cassano, Perry-Parrish, Stegall, & Zeman, 2006).
Those who report a significantly higher level of emotional abuse in childhood are more likely to have lower levels of self-esteem as they become older (Anderson, Herbison, Martin, Mullen, & Romans, 1995).
This study was conducted to find the effects of adverse events early in life to romantic relationships in adulthood, and how these effects may also be moderated by feelings of self-worth and level of emotional expressivity
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figures 1. & 2. Interactions between levels of adverse events and levels of emotional expressivity and their predictions to level of teen’s report of relationship satisfaction and the romantic partner’s report of anxiety about relationship.
Results
Correlations between primary variables are presented in Table 1 below.
Regression equations examined adverse events and either level of self-worth or emotional expressivity as predictors of youths’ later internal feelings about romantic relationships. This included satisfaction, affection, antagonism, anxiety, and possessiveness.
Interactions revealed that for individuals with higher cases of adverse events in childhood who also reported low emotional expressivity at age 21 predicted that the teen will report lower relationship satisfaction in adulthood (see Figure 1).
Interactions revealed that individuals with higher cases of adverse events in childhood who also reported low emotional expressivity at age 21 predicted that the romantic partner will report increased levels of anxiety about the relationship in adulthood (see Figure 2).
Interactions were found between adverse events and levels of self-worth predicting the romantic partner’s report of possessiveness; high self-worth and lower cases of adverse events predict the partner’s increased possessiveness level (see Figure 3).
Interactions were also found between adverse events and levels of self-worth predicting the teen’s report of affection; low self-worth and higher cases of adverse events predicted lower levels of affection in romantic relationships (see Figure 4).
Figure 4
Figure 3
Figures 3. & 4. Interactions between levels of adverse events and levels of self-worth and their predictions to outcome of teen’s report of affection toward romantic partner and the romantic partner’s report of possessiveness in the relationship.
Discussion
Teens who experienced higher numbers of adverse events in their childhood tend to have increased difficulties and troubles about their internal feelings in romantic relationships in adulthood.
For individuals who reported numbers of adverse life events (ALE) from birth to age 18 and:
Satisfaction:
Higher levels of emotional expressivity predict high satisfaction in romantic relationships. Lower levels of emotional expressivity predict less satisfaction in romantic relationships
Lower levels of emotional expressivity act as a moderator to decrease levels of satisfaction. This may be because individuals have the chance to reflect on their experiences rather than bottling them up inside.
Anxiety:
Low emotional expressivity predicts the individual’s partners’ increased anxiety.
Both levels of ALE and the individual’s level of emotional expressivity predicted diverse levels of anxiety, which may be explained by the partner’s possible lack of trust and belief in the partner’s feelings if they are not sharing their emotions.
Possessiveness:
Low self-worth predicted high possessiveness from the romantic partner.
As the levels of self-worth varied with the number of ALE for the participant, the level of possessiveness from the the partner also varied. This could be explain because the partner may be more protective over the participant if they have experienced negative events and have a low feeling of self-worth.
Affection:
Low self-worth predicted low levels of satisfaction in the relationship. This could be explained because the participant may have never felt they were “good enough”, so they do not show emotion because they may not feel as if they deserve it.
Hypotheses
Children who have reported more adverse events will also report greater internal conflict within their romantic relationships in adulthood
The associations between adverse events and internal conflict in adult relationships will be moderated by greater difficulty in emotional expressivity and greater implicit feelings of lower self-esteem/worth in adolescence
Method
Table 1 Univariate statistics and inter-correlations between primary constructs
Mean (SD) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1. Gender
47% male -
2. Income
43,618 (22,420)
-.11
3. Adverse Experiences
(27)
1.50 (2.23)
.11
-.24**
4. Self-Worth
(18)
-.47 (0.35)
-.09
-.02
.19*
5. Emotional Expressivity
(21)
69.23 (15.26)
.50***
.16*
.09
-.12
6. Relationship
Satisfaction (24-26)
13.34 (2.32)
.14
.07
-.25*
.08
.18
7. Affection in Relationship
(24-26)
14.02 (1.85)
.22*
.06
-.36**
-.05
.31
.48***
8. Antagonism in
Relationship (24-26)
6.16 (2.57)
-.03
.05
-.10
-.07
-.43***
-.27**
9. Partner’s Report of
Anxiety (24-26)
52.05 (20.35)
-.18
-.06
.02
-.14
10. Partner’s Self-Report of
Possessiveness (24-26)
10.25 (3.58)
-.04
.15
.47***
Participants
N = 184
Number with Romantic Partner = 97
Gender Race/ethnicity Income
86 males Caucasian Median = $40,000 - $59,000
98 females African American
24 Mixed/Other
Note. * p ≤ .05, ** p ≤ .01, *** p ≤ .001