This study examined retrospective reports of child abuse in 362 university students and assessed effects on positive and negative affect, locus of control, and maladaptive cognitive schema and affect (negative self view and viewing world as hostile) as mediated by social support. Behavior specific child abuse items and locus of control items were factor analyzed (principal factors iterated method). Child abuse was characterized by three factors (psychological/physical abuse, neglect/emotional neglect, and sexual abuse) with summary scores used for subsequent analyses. Internal, external, and victimization external locus of control emerged as locus of control factors. Relationships between child abuse history and dependent variables (affect, locus of control, and maladaptive cognitive schema/affect) were first explored through canonical correlation analysis, which found significant relationships between each abuse categorization and each dependent variable. Full fitted model regression followed for each dependent measure, with child abuse predictors alone and with demographics and social support included, to ascertain the unique and aggregate effects of predictor variables. Hierarchical regression was conducted to control for temporal priority of sets of variables. Additional results included: (1) psychological/physical abuse predicted negative affect, negative self view, hostile world view, and victimization locus of control; (2) neglect/emotional neglect predicted lower positive affect and internal locus of control and greater negative self view, hostile world view, and external locus of control; (3) effects of psychological/physical abuse and neglect/emotional neglect were indirectly expressed and/or mediated by other variables as they were not uniquely predictive when other predictors were included; (4) sexual abuse predicted negative affect, negative self view, hostile world view, and victimization locus of control; (5) positive affect and internal locus xiv of control were influenced by emotional neglect/neglect whereas negative affect and remaining dependent variables were influenced by each child maltreatment type; (6) social support strongly predicted psychological functioning and mediated the effects of maltreatment; (7) sex differences included more sexual abuse of females and more neglect of males; and (8) experiencing more abuse/neglect was associated with greater likelihood to self-define as maltreated (especially for physical and sexual abuse), but substantial divergence existed.
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