Childhood victimization and childlessness

Title

Identifier

d_2009_2013:c04350ce19ff:10201

identifier

10178

Creator

Miller, Samantha Pia,

Contributor

Cathy Spatz Widom

Date

2009

Language

English

Publisher

City University of New York.

Subject

Abstract

Motivation to have children is a complex construct, driven not only by biology, but also by expectations and social roles. With a few exceptions, the literature on demographic, psychological, and interpersonal correlates of childlessness does not include adults with a history of childhood victimization. This dissertation explores whether maltreated children are more likely to be childless in adulthood than individuals without histories of childhood victimization. Demographic and psychological differences between previously maltreated children who have children of their own and those who remain childless were explored, as well as differences between previously maltreated children who have children of their own and matched controls. Data were part of a cohort design study in which abused and neglected children (N = 676) were matched with non-abused/non-neglected children (N = 520) and followed prospectively into adulthood (mean age 28.72). The Pearson chi-square statistic was used for simple bivariate comparisons of groups. Logistic regression equations were computed with interactions for childhood maltreatment and hypothesized moderators predicting the dichotomous dependent variable of childlessness. Because most analyses will be based on logistic regression equations, the use of the phrase "increased risk" is used in a statistical way to refer to significant odds ratios. It is recognized that childlessness may be protective and the phrase "increased risk" is not meant pejoratively or to pathologize childlessness. Analyses were performed for the overall sample as well as for specific types of abuse/neglect, for males and females, and for younger and older age groups, separately.;Overall, 27.5% (n = 329) of the sample was childless at the time of the assessment. Being female, a high school graduate, working in a professional or managerial position, and having a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol abuse were significant predictors of childlessness. Contrary to findings in the literature and current expectations, several other characteristics (i.e., religiosity, relationship fidelity, self-esteem, and having a lifetime diagnosis of depression, dysthymia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and drug abuse) did not predict childlessness. There was no main effect for child abuse and neglect or for specific types of abuse and neglect on childlessness in adulthood. That is, the abused/neglected group were not more likely to be childless than matched controls. In terms of overall moderation effects, educational attainment significantly interacted with childhood maltreatment to predict childlessness.;Moderation effects for specific types of abuse indicated that generalized anxiety disorder interacted with neglect; alcohol abuse, educational attainment, and religiosity interacted with sexual abuse; and alcohol abuse and religiosity interacted with physical abuse to predict childlessness. Several findings were gender-specific. For women, childhood sexual abuse interacted with education and alcohol abuse to decrease the risk of childlessness, and religiosity to increase the risk of childlessness. For men, childhood maltreatment in general and physical abuse each interacted with alcohol abuse to decrease the risk of childlessness. In addition, several findings were age-specific. For participants over age 30, childhood physical abuse interacted with religiosity to increase the risk of childlessness and for participants under age 30 childhood sexual and physical abuse interacted with education and alcohol abuse, respectively, to decrease the risk of childlessness. There were no interactions between self-esteem, fidelity, or any other psychiatric diagnosis and maltreatment status on childlessness.;These findings bridge the gap between the extant literature on childlessness, which focuses mainly on non-maltreated samples, and the separate literature on child maltreatment, which focuses mainly on individuals who have children. Despite surprising findings, these results have implications for social service interventions and psychological treatment.

Type

dissertation

Source

2009_2013.csv

degree

Ph.D.

Program

Psychology

Item