Child Maltreatment, Self Capacities, and Trauma Symptoms

ABSTRACT This study explored the psychometric properties of the Inner Experience Questionnaire (IEQ), a measure of self capacities. Relations among childhood maltreatment, self capacities, and trauma symptoms were examined in four samples. Results indicated that respondents who experienced childhood maltreatment reported more severely disrupted self capacities than those without a maltreatment history. Self capacity disruptions were significantly correlated with trauma symptoms in both clinical and non-clinical samples. In all four samples, participants with more severely disrupted self capacities reported more trauma symptoms than those with less disrupted self capacities. The results provide preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of the IEQ and provide support for theory that suggests that childhood maltreatment creates deficits in self functioning.