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Childhood Sexual Abuse and Fear of Abandonment Moderate the Relation of Intimate Partner Violence to Severity of Dissociation.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Zerubavel, N; Messman-Moore, TL; DiLillo, D; Gratz, KL
Published in: J Trauma Dissociation
2018

Betrayal trauma theory proposes a relation between intimate partner violence (IPV) and dissociation, suggesting that dissociation among victims of IPV may function to restrict awareness of abuse in order to preserve attachments perceived as vital. We investigated two factors that may moderate the relation between IPV and dissociation-childhood sexual abuse (CSA) severity and fear of abandonment-among 348 women currently in a relationship. The relation between frequency of IPV (sexual and physical) and dissociation (amnesia and depersonalization) was moderated by CSA severity and fear of abandonment. Specifically, among women with clinically relevant fear of abandonment, the strength of the relation between IPV and dissociation became stronger as CSA severity increased. This study is the first to demonstrate the moderating roles of fear of abandonment and CSA history in the relation between IPV and dissociation among women. Findings suggest that it may be important to target fear of abandonment in interventions with IPV victims who have a CSA history. Results suggest that fear of abandonment warrants greater attention in research on IPV revictimization.

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Published In

J Trauma Dissociation

DOI

EISSN

1529-9740

Publication Date

2018

Volume

19

Issue

1

Start / End Page

9 / 24

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Sex Offenses
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Risk Factors
  • Psychiatry
  • Intimate Partner Violence
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Fear
  • Dissociative Disorders
 

Citation

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MLA
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Zerubavel, N., Messman-Moore, T. L., DiLillo, D., & Gratz, K. L. (2018). Childhood Sexual Abuse and Fear of Abandonment Moderate the Relation of Intimate Partner Violence to Severity of Dissociation. J Trauma Dissociation, 19(1), 9–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2017.1289491
Zerubavel, Noga, Terri L. Messman-Moore, David DiLillo, and Kim L. Gratz. “Childhood Sexual Abuse and Fear of Abandonment Moderate the Relation of Intimate Partner Violence to Severity of Dissociation.J Trauma Dissociation 19, no. 1 (2018): 9–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2017.1289491.
Zerubavel N, Messman-Moore TL, DiLillo D, Gratz KL. Childhood Sexual Abuse and Fear of Abandonment Moderate the Relation of Intimate Partner Violence to Severity of Dissociation. J Trauma Dissociation. 2018;19(1):9–24.
Zerubavel, Noga, et al. “Childhood Sexual Abuse and Fear of Abandonment Moderate the Relation of Intimate Partner Violence to Severity of Dissociation.J Trauma Dissociation, vol. 19, no. 1, 2018, pp. 9–24. Pubmed, doi:10.1080/15299732.2017.1289491.
Zerubavel N, Messman-Moore TL, DiLillo D, Gratz KL. Childhood Sexual Abuse and Fear of Abandonment Moderate the Relation of Intimate Partner Violence to Severity of Dissociation. J Trauma Dissociation. 2018;19(1):9–24.
Journal cover image

Published In

J Trauma Dissociation

DOI

EISSN

1529-9740

Publication Date

2018

Volume

19

Issue

1

Start / End Page

9 / 24

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Sex Offenses
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Risk Factors
  • Psychiatry
  • Intimate Partner Violence
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Fear
  • Dissociative Disorders