The linkages among childhood maltreatment, adolescent mental health, and self-compassion in child welfare adolescents

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Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 35, Issue 10, pp. 887–898

Tanaka, Masako
Wekerle, Christine
Schmuck, Mary Lou
Paglia-Boak, Angela

Journal article
Canadian CW research
ISBN / ISSN / DOI
10.1016/j.chiabu.2011.07.003

Childhood maltreatment is a risk factor for poor physical and mental health.  This study explored the relationship between child maltreatment and self-compassion.  Self-compassion was defined as a concept of positive acceptance of the self.  The present sample was taken from the Maltreatment and Adolescent Pathways (MAP) Longitudinal Study.  A total of 117 youths completed the self-compassion scale within the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.  Results suggest youth who had experienced higher childhood emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and physical abuse had lower self-compassion than those who experienced lower levels of these types of maltreatment.   Youth with low self-compassion were found to have higher levels of psychological distress, problematic alcohol use, and report a serious suicide attempt.  Authors suggest exploring self-compassion further in order to better understand the impact of childhood emotional abuse.

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