A study of Israeli Arabs found that individuals who reported higher levels of physical abuse in childhood tend to experience poorer marriage quality as adults. These individuals also reported higher levels of psychological distress and were more likely to exhibit insecure attachment styles. The study, published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, highlights the long-term impacts of childhood maltreatment on adult relationships.
Childhood maltreatment includes various forms of abuse and neglect that children may experience. This encompasses physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as neglect and exposure to domestic violence. Physical abuse involves the use of force that can cause injury, pain, or impairment. Emotional abuse consists of behaviors that harm a child’s self-worth or emotional health, such as verbal abuse, manipulation, and rejection.
Sexual abuse involves any sexual activity with a child, including molestation, rape, and exploitation. Neglect refers to the failure to meet a child’s basic needs, including food, shelter, medical care, education, and emotional support. Exposure to domestic violence occurs when a child witnesses violence between caregivers.
Study author Shireen Sokar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem wanted to examined the effects of physical and emotional abuse in childhood on the quality of marital relationships among heterosexual married Arab adults in Israel. She believes that the study of Israeli Arabs is particularly interesting because their society is collectivistic and patriarchal.
Sokar further states that intimate relationships among Arab citizens of Israel are generally only acceptable within the bounds of marriage and in accordance with religious laws. Establishing a family is an essential goal for young men and women in Arab societies. This differs from European and North American societies, where cohabiting without marriage has become an alternative. The societal emphasis on having a family is much stronger among Arabs.
The study participants were 604 married Israeli Arabs between 20 and 60 years of age, including 303 women. Of these participants, 79% were Muslims, 10% were Christians, and 11% identified as Druze. The average length of their marriages was eight years, and 89% had at least one child.
Participants completed a survey that included sociodemographic questions and assessments of childhood maltreatment (as remembered by the participant), romantic attachment styles, psychological distress, and marital relationship quality. The scales used included the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale, the Revised Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, the Short Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale.
Results showed that participants who reported greater physical abuse in childhood also had more pronounced attachment avoidance and anxiety, higher psychological distress, and lower marital relationship quality. Similar associations were found for childhood emotional abuse, but the strength of these associations was weaker.
Individuals with pronounced attachment avoidance tend to maintain emotional distance from others and avoid dependence on close relationships due to fear of intimacy and vulnerability. High attachment anxiety involves a strong fear of rejection and abandonment, leading to excessive worry about the stability and security of close relationships.
Sokar tested statistical models proposing that physical and emotional abuse in childhood leads to higher psychological distress, more attachment avoidance, and higher anxiety. These, in turn, lower the quality of the marital relationship. The results showed that, in men, such relationships are possible only for childhood physical abuse, but not for emotional abuse.
In women, childhood physical abuse led to psychological distress and attachment avoidance, which, in turn, lowered the quality of the marital relationship. Childhood emotional abuse could have increased attachment anxiety, but attachment anxiety was not associated with relationship quality when controlling for psychological distress and attachment avoidance.
“Implementing interventions focused on improving mental health and promoting a secure romantic attachment style can enhance the quality of marital relationships for adults with CM [childhood maltreatment] experiences,” Sokar concluded.
The study sheds light on the links between memories of childhood maltreatment and marital quality in adulthood. However, it should be noted that the study examined memories of childhood maltreatment. It did not collect any objective data on childhood maltreatment. Results of longitudinal studies examining childhood maltreatment while it is happening might not yield identical results.
The paper, “Childhood maltreatment and the quality of marital relationships: Examining mediating pathways and gender differences,” was authored by Shireen Sokar.