Depression, object relations, and reality testing in women survivors of childhood abuse

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between history of childhood abuse and intensity and type of depression, object relations (OR), and reality testing (RT). Subjects were 172 adult female volunteers from a university, grouped according to history of sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, or having had an alcohol-abusing parent. Comparisons were also conducted between groups with histories of a single form of abuse vs. multiple forms vs. no abuse. The results supported that a history of abuse is associated with introjective (self-critical) depression (P < .000), and difficulties in interpersonal relationships (P < .000) and reality testing (P < .000). Subjects who had experienced multiple forms of abuse showed greater severity of depressive symptomatology than non-abused subjects (P < .002), but those who had experienced a single form of abuse did not differ significantly from non-abused subjects. This indicates that high depression scores may be suggestive of a history of multiple forms of abuse. Treatment implications are discussed. Depression 3:278-285 (1995/1996). © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.