Top

Published in:

01-08-2008 | Original Article

Optimism as a Mediator Between the Experience of Child Abuse, Other Traumatic Events, and Distress

Authors: Alison Brodhagen, Deborah Wise

Published in: Journal of Family Violence | Issue 6/2008

Abstract

In this study, we examined the role of dispositional optimism in mediating distress among students who experienced traumatic events, including child physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse. Participants included 199 undergraduate and graduate students (aged 18–63 years) from a private university in Oregon. In this study, dispositional optimism partially mediated distress among individuals who had experienced child physical abuse and child emotional abuse; participants with higher levels of optimism had lower levels of distress. In addition, dispositional optimism fully mediated distress among individuals who had experienced traumatic events such as rape, assault, and fire; participants with higher levels of optimism had lower levels of distress. Contrary to prediction, the experience of child sexual abuse was not associated with distress. Clinical implications of these results are addressed.

American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

Aspinwall, L. G., & Taylor, S. E. (1992). Modeling cognitive adaptation: A longitudinal investigation of the impact of individual differences and coping on college adjustment and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 989–1003.PubMedCrossRef

Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182.PubMedCrossRef

Beck, J. S. (1995). Cognitive therapy. New York: Guilford.

Bernstein, D. P., & Fink, L. (1998). Childhood trauma questionnaire manual. San Antonio: The Psychological Corporation.

Bolger, K. E., & Patterson, C. J. (2003). Sequelae of child maltreatment: Vulnerability and resilience. In S. S. Luthar (Ed.), Resilience and vulnerability: Adaptation in the context of childhood adversities (pp. 156–181). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Briere, J., & Runtz, M. (1988). Multivariate correlates of childhood psychological and physical maltreatment among university women. Child Abuse and Neglect, 12, 331–341.PubMedCrossRef

Brown, A., & Finkelhor, D. (1986). Impact of child sexual abuse: A review of the research. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 66–77.CrossRef

Brown, E. J., & Kolko, D. J. (1999). Child victims’ attributions about being physically abused: An examination of factors associated with symptom severity. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 27, 311–322.PubMedCrossRef

Bunce, S. C., Larsen, R. J., & Peterson, C. (1995). Life after trauma: Personality and daily life experiences of traumatized people. Journal of Personality, 63, 165–188.PubMedCrossRef

Burlingame, G. M., Lambert, M. J., Reisinger, C. W., Neff, W. M., & Mosier, J. (1995). Pragmatics of tracking mental health outcomes in a managed care setting. The Journal of Mental Health Administration, 22, 226–236.CrossRef

Carver, C. S., & Gaines, J. G. (1987). Optimism, pessimism, and postpartum depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 11, 449–462.CrossRef

Carver, C. S., Pozo, C., Harris, S. D., Noriega, V., Scheier, M. F., Robinson, D. S., et al. (1993). How coping mediates the effect of optimism on distress: A study of women with early stage breast cancer. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 375–390.PubMedCrossRef

Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (2002). Optimism, pessimism, and self-regulation. In E. C. Chang (Ed.), Optimism and pessimism: Implications for theory, research, and practice (pp. 31–51). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Cohen, J., & Cohen, P. (1983). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). New York: Erlbaum.

Cozzarelli, C. (1993). Personality and self-efficacy as predictors of coping with abortion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 1224–1236.PubMedCrossRef

Egeland, B., Carlson, E., & Sroufe, L. A. (1993). Resilience as process. Development & Psychopathology, 5, 517–528.

Egeland, B., Sroufe, L. A., & Erickson, M. A. (1983). The developmental consequence of different patterns of maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 7, 459–469.CrossRef

Finkelhor, D. (1998). A comparison of the responses of preadolescents and adolescents in a national victimization survey. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13(3), 362–382.CrossRef

Fivush, R. (1993). Developmental perspectives on autobiographical recall. In G. S. Goodman & B. L. Bottoms (Eds.), Child victims, child witnesses: Understanding and improving testimony (pp. 1–24). New York: Guilford.

Gray, M. J., Litz, B. T., Wang, J., & Lombardo, T. W. (2004). Psychometric properties of the Life Events Checklist. Assessment, 11, 330–341.PubMedCrossRef

Greenberger, D., & Padesky, C. A. (1995). Mind over mood. New York: Guilford.

Heller, S. S., Larrieu, J. A., D’Imperio, R., & Boris, N. W. (1999). Research on resilience to child maltreatment: Empirical considerations. Child Abuse & Neglect, 23, 321–338.CrossRef

Herrenkohl, R. C., Egolf, B. P., & Herrenkohl, E. C. (1997). Preschool antecedents of adolescent assaultive behavior: A longitudinal study. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 67, 422–432.PubMedCrossRef

Ironson, G., Balbin, E., Stuetzle, R., Fletcher, M. A., O’Cleirigh, C., Laurenceau, J. P., et al. (2005). Dispositional optimism and the mechanisms by which it predicts slower disease progression in HIV: Proactive behavior, avoidant coping, and depression. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 12, 86–97.PubMedCrossRef

Kendall-Tackett, K. A., & Simon, A. F. (1988). Molestation and the onset of puberty: Data from 365 adults molested as children. Child Abuse & Neglect, 12, 73–81.CrossRef

Kendall-Tackett, K. A., Williams, L. M., & Finkelhor, D. (1993). Impact of sexual abuse On children: A review and synthesis of recent empirical studies. Psychological Bulletin, 113(1), 164–180.PubMedCrossRef

Kessler, R. C., Sonnega, A., & Bromet, E. (1995). Posttraumatic stress disorder in the national comorbidity survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 52, 1048–1060.PubMed

Lambert, M. J., Burlingame, G. M., Umphress, V., Hansen, N. B., Yancher, S. C., Vermeersch, D., et al. (1996a). The reliability and validity of a new psychotherapy outcome questionnaire. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 3(4), 249–258.CrossRef

Lambert, M. J., Hansen, N. B., Umphress, V., Lunnen, K., Okiishi, J., Burlingame, G., et al. (1996b). Administration and scoring manual for the OUTCOME QUESTIONNAIRE (OQ-45.2). Wilmington, DL: American Professional Credentialing Services.

Luthar, S. S., Cicchetti, D., & Becker, B. (2000). The construct of resilience: A critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child Development, 71(3), 543–562.PubMedCrossRef

McGee, R. A., Wolfe, D. A., & Wilson, S. K. (1997). Multiple maltreatment experiences and adolescents’ behavior problems: Adolescent perspectives. Development & Psychopathology, 9, 131–149.CrossRef

Medrano, M. A., Hatch, J. P., Zule, W. A., & Desmond, D. P. (2003). Childhood trauma and adult prostitution behavior in a multiethnic heterosexual drug-using population. American Journal of Drug & Alcohol Abuse, 29, 463–486.CrossRef

Ozer, E. J., Best, S. R., Lipsey, T. L., & Weiss, D. S. (2003). Predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in adults: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 52–73.PubMedCrossRef

Paivio, S. C. (2001). Stability of retrospective self-reports of child abuse and neglect before and after therapy for child abuse issues. Child Abuse & Neglect, 25, 1053–1068.CrossRef

Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1987). Dispositional optimism and physical well-being: The influence of generalized outcome expectancies on health. Journal of Personality, 55, 169–210.PubMedCrossRef

Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1988). A model of behavioral self-regulation: Translating intention into action. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.) Advances in experimental social psychology, 21 (pp. 303–346). New York: Academic.CrossRef

Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1993). On the power of positive thinking: The benefits of being optimistic. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2, 26–30.CrossRef

Scheier, M. F., Carver, C. S., & Bridges, M. W. (1994). Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self master, and self-esteem): A reevaluation of the Life Orientation Test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 1063–1078.PubMedCrossRef

Scheier, M. F., Matthews, K. A., Owen, J. F., Magovern, G. J., Lefebvre, R. C., Abbott, R. A., et al. (1989). Dispositional optimism and recovery from coronary artery bypass surgery: The beneficial effects on physical and psychological well-being. Journal of personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1024–1040.PubMedCrossRef

Scheier, M. F., Weintraub, J. K., & Carver, C. S. (1986). Coping with stress: Divergent strategies of optimists and pessimists. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1257–1264.PubMedCrossRef

Schou, I., Ekeberg, O., Sandvik, L., Hjermstad, M. J., & Ruland, C. M. (2005). Multiple predictors, of health-related quality of life in early stage breast cancer. Data from a year follow-up study compared with the general population. Quality of Life Research: An International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care, & Rehabilitation, 14(8), 1813–1823.

Seligman, M. E. P. (1990). Learned optimism. New York: Pocket Books.

Solomon, Z., Mikulincer, M., & Avitzur, E. (1988). Coping, locus of control, social support, and combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder: A prospective study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 279–285.PubMedCrossRef

Spaccarelli, S. (1994). Stress, appraisal, and coping in child sexual abuse: A theoretical and empirical review. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 340–362.PubMedCrossRef

Toth, S. L., Manly, J. T., & Cicchetti, D. (1992). Child maltreatment and vulnerability to depression. Development & Psychopathology, 4, 97–112.CrossRef

Updegraff, J. A., & Marshall, G. N. (2005). Predictors of perceived growth following direct exposure to community violence. Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, 24, 538–560.CrossRef

U.S. Census Bureau (2003). Statistical abstract of the United States: 2003. Retrieved June 14, 2004 from http://www.census.gov/statab.

US Department of Health and Human Services (2004). Child maltreatment. Retrieved June 23, 2004 from http://naccchildlaw.org/childrenlaw/childmaltreatment.html.

Yang, B., & Clam, G. A. (1996). Effects of early negative life experiences on cognitive functioning and risk for suicide: A review. Clinical Psychology Review, 16, 177–195.CrossRef

Zeidner, M., & Hammer, A. L. (1992). Coping with missile attack: Resources, strategies, and outcomes. Journal of Personality, 60, 709–746.CrossRef

Title: Optimism as a Mediator Between the Experience of Child Abuse, Other Traumatic Events, and Distress
Authors: Alison Brodhagen
Deborah Wise
Publication date: 01-08-2008
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Family Violence / Issue 6/2008
Print ISSN: 0885-7482
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2851
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-008-9165-8

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Optimism as a Mediator Between the Experience of Child Abuse, Other Traumatic Events, and Distress

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 6/2008

Parent–Child Interaction Therapy with Domestic Violence Populations

Intimate Partner Violence Victim and Perpetrator Characteristics Among Couples in the United States

From Victim to Offender: The Effects of Male Initiated Violence on Women Arrested for Using Intimate Partner Violence

Semantic and Episodic Autobiographical Memory Recall for Memories Not Directly Associated with Childhood Sexual Abuse

Gender-Role Implications on Same-Sex Intimate Partner Abuse

Men’s Use of Controlling Behaviors: A Comparison of Reports by Women in a Domestic Violence Shelter and Women in a Domestic Violence Offender Program