Resilience Factors in Women with Severe Early-Life Maltreatment

Abstract

Introduction: Early-life maltreatment (ELM) has long-lasting negative consequences and is the most important general risk factor for mental disorders. Nevertheless, a number of maltreated children grow up to become healthy adults and have therefore been called ‘resilient'. The aim of the current study is to investigate ‘resilience factors' in the context of severe ELM. Method: The study was part of the large multicenter project Understanding and Breaking the Intergenerational Cycle of Abuse (UBICA). A total of 89 women were examined, 33 with ELM and at least one lifetime mental disorder (nonresilient), 19 with ELM but without lifetime mental disorders (resilient), and 37 without ELM and without lifetime mental disorders (controls). ELM and other circumstances before the age of 18 years were assessed with the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse (CECA) Interview. Additional relevant person and situation factors were measured with the Structured Clinical Interview for Mental Disorders (SCID-I), International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), and Multiple-Choice Vocabulary Intelligence Test (MWT-B). Factor analyses and paired t tests were performed to identify those variables which differentiate best between the three groups. In addition, a discriminant analysis was conducted to detect the accuracy of assigning women to their specific group. Results: The factor analyses revealed 10 resilience factors based on which we could correctly assign 80% of the women to their group in the discriminant analysis. t tests of factor scores showed that resilient and nonresilient maltreated women mainly differed in current individual attributes (e.g. impulsivity, attachment style), while resilient and nonresilient maltreated women differed from controls in both their current individual attributes and their view of their situation as a child. Conclusion: The 4 variables neuroticism, extraversion, vulnerable attachment, and perceived loneliness during childhood were identified as most important in differentiating all three examined groups. Therefore, prevention and intervention programs focusing on the individual's development of secure attachment and social competence may be of particular importance in the context of ELM.

The Cycle of Abuse: Emotional Availability in Resilient and Non-Resilient Mothers with Early Life Maltreatment

“…Our study shows that resilient mothers do not show any disturbed mother-child interaction despite having faced severe ELM. Multiple factors contributing to resilience have been identified in studies from our work group [18] and from Afifi and Macmillan [19]. These include high emotion regulation capacities; secure attachments, including supportive relationships and a stable family environment; low perceived loneliness during childhood; low impulsivity; low levels of neuroticism; and high levels of extraversion.…”

“…Multiple factors contributing to resilience have been identified. These include high emotion regulation capacities; secure attachments, such as supportive relationships and a stable family environment; low perceived loneliness during childhood; low impulsivity; low levels of neuroticism; and high levels of extraversion [18, 19]. As these factors include interpersonal support and security for the mother, one might think that these resilience-promoting factors could also support the mother in developing an appropriate and warm mother-child interaction.…”

Maternal early life maltreatment and psychopathology affect the next generation: Alterations in post‐awakening cortisol levels of primary school‐aged children

“…In a previous study, we found that irrespective of later psychopathology, mothers with ELM reported reduced social support and fewer friends during childhood than those without ELM. However, only those mothers with ELM who later developed a mental disorder (ELM and disorder) also had significantly elevated levels of neuroticism and reduced levels of extraversion (Hillmann, Neukel, Hagemann, Herpertz, & Bertsch, 2016). Hypercortisolism, as found in our study in children of mothers in the ELM and disorder group, has been shown to increase the child's risk to develop a mental disorder later in life (Gunnar & Vazquez, 2001; McCrory et al., 2012).…”

Einfluss früher Gewalterfahrungen von Frauen auf die Mutter-Kind-Beziehung

“…Mütter, die frühe Gewalterfahrungen gemacht hatten, berichteten in einem standardisierten Interview von einer stärker wahrgenommenen Einsamkeit in der Kindheit und von weniger Freunden als die Vergleichsgruppe. Jene Mütter mit frühen Gewalterfahrungen, die zusätzlich im Verlauf ihres Lebens eine psychische Störung entwickelt hatten, zeigten auch auf der Ebene der Persönlichkeitseigenschaften eine höhere Ausprägung von Neurotizismus und eine geringere Ausprägung von Extraversion sowie ein vulnerableres Bindungsverhalten als Müt-ter ohne Gewalterfahrungen [18]. Auch im Bereich der sozialkognitiven Funktionen konnten Defizite festgestellt werden: Mütter mit im Vergleich zu Müttern ohne frühe Gewalterfahrungen hatten im Trend eine niedrigere Empathiefähigkeit [23].…”