Betrayed? That's me: implicit and explicit betrayed self-concept in young adults abused as children

Authors:
DELKER Brianna C., FREYD Jennifer J.
Journal article citation:
Journal of Aggression Maltreatment and Trauma, 26(7), 2017, pp.701-716.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis

Attenuated awareness of betrayal, or "betrayal blindness," is a proposed survival mechanism in relationships where awareness of betrayal will mobilise confront-or-withdraw responses that jeopardise a needed relationship. Empirical tests of betrayal blindness and its effects are hampered by the methodological conundrum of how to measure an absence of awareness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of a novel empirical method to measure implicit betrayed self-concept, the first step in a long-term research aim to operationalise “betrayal blindness.” Informed by betrayal trauma theory, the authors hypothesised that a history of betrayal within close childhood relationships (but not recent close relationships or “not-close” relationships) would predict implicit betrayed-self associations in young adulthood. An adaptation of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and measured implicit and explicit betrayed-self associations and self-reported history of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse in 529 university undergraduates was designed. Internal consistency reliability of the betrayed self IAT was low but adequate. Hierarchical regression modeling revealed that history of abuse within close childhood relationships (but not recent close relationships or “not-close” relationships) predicted betrayed-self IAT scores. The effect size was small. In addition, history of betrayal by someone close (but not someone “not close”) at any age predicted increased explicit evaluations of the self as betrayed versus respected, a small effect size. Findings indicate that implicit betrayed self-concept can be measured empirically. (Edited publisher abstract)

Subject terms:
young adults, child abuse, self-concept, survivors, traumas;
Content type:
research
Link:
Journal home page
ISSN online:
1545-083X
ISSN print:
1092-6771

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