When Home Is Where the Harm Is: Family Betrayal and Posttraumatic Outcomes in Young Adulthood

Abstract

Research on institutional betrayal has found that institutional wrongdoing that fails to prevent or respond supportively to victims of abuse adds to the burden of trauma. In this two-study investigation with young adult university students, we demonstrated parallels between institutional betrayal and ways that families can fail to prevent or respond supportively to child abuse perpetrated by a trusted other, a phenomenon we call family betrayal (FB). In Study 1, psychometric analysis of a new FB questionnaire provided evidence of its internal consistency, unidimensionality, and convergent and discriminant validity. The majority (approximately 72%) of young adults abused in childhood reported a history of FB, with an average of 4.26 FB events (SD = 4.45, range 0-14). Consistent with betrayal trauma theory, Study 2 revealed that FB was 4x more likely to occur in relation to childhood abuse by someone very close to the victim (vs. non-interpersonal victimization), with a particularly strong effect for female participants. FB history predicted significant delay to disclosure of a self-identified worst traumatic event (ηp 2 = .017) and significant increases in dissociation (∆R 2 = .05) and posttraumatic stress (∆R 2 = .07) symptoms in young adulthood. Moreover, with FB in the regression models, only FB-not child abuse nor recent interpersonal victimization-predicted dissociation and clinically significant elevations in posttraumatic stress. Findings suggest that FB is a prevalent phenomenon among young adults abused as children and that it explains unique, clinically significant variance in posttraumatic distress, warranting increased attention from trauma researchers and clinicians.

Applying polyvictimization theory to veterans: Associations with substance use and mental health.

“…In turn, women veterans who have experienced past sexual assaults may be as much as five times more likely to develop PTSD than those without sexual assault histories, and for those who report experiencing military sexual trauma relative to those without, nine times greater odds for PTSD (Surìs et al, 2007). The high rates of both military sexual trauma relative to other forms of victimization and trauma, particularly among women veterans, may be understood through the lens of betrayal trauma theory (Delker et al, 2018; Freyd, 1996). Betrayal theory scholars have suggested that trusted sources, such as family members or military supervisors/unit members, who betray trust (i.e., familial or institutional trust) can lead the victim to “betrayal blindness,” such that future victimization may become more likely.…”

Development and validation of the Dimensional Inventory of Stress and Trauma Across the Lifespan (DISTAL): A novel assessment tool to facilitate the dimensional study of psychobiological sequelae of exposure to adversity

“…Betrayal trauma theory proposes that because children are compelled to align themselves with caregivers, children form attachment relationships to caregivers regardless of the quality of care that they receive (Delker et al, 2018;Freyd, 1994). However, although the ability to form an attachment despite a caregiver's betrayal cues may be adaptive to an infant given their biological need to attach to a caregiver for safety and survival, the development of non-secure attachment relationships to caregivers as a result may be less adaptive later in life.…”

“…Betrayal trauma theory (Freyd, 1994, 1997) and attachment theory (Bowlby, 1958) assert that a child's formation and maintenance of attachment relationships to caregivers is critical to their emotional and physical wellbeing, as well as survival (R. Bernstein & Freyd, 2014). Betrayal trauma theory proposes that because children are compelled to align themselves with caregivers, children form attachment relationships to caregivers regardless of the quality of care that they receive (Delker et al., 2018; Freyd, 1994). However, although the ability to form an attachment despite a caregiver's betrayal cues may be adaptive to an infant given their biological need to attach to a caregiver for safety and survival, the development of non‐secure attachment relationships to caregivers as a result may be less adaptive later in life.…”

When colleagues betray: The harm of sexual boundary violations in psychotherapy extends beyond the victim.

“…Along with the responsibility to protect members from danger, organizations are responsible for responding when a dangerous situation is identified or a member reports being hurt in some way. However, much in the same way that incestuous families can coalesce to protect the family and its reputation by repudiating and even shunning the victim member while supporting the abuser (e.g., Delker et al, 2018), organizations can do the same. Thus, institutional betrayal is an additional harm above and beyond the initial traumatic event that compounds the negative effects of the original violation (Smith & Freyd, 2013.…”