Maternal- versus paternal-perpetrated maltreatment and risk for sexual and peer bullying revictimization in young women with depression

Abstract

Background: Childhood maltreatment is one of the strongest predictors of sexual and peer bullying re-victimization. However, it is not clear which types of maltreatment are associated with the greatest risk.

Objective: The current study examined the differential relations of maternal- versus paternal-perpetrated emotional maltreatment, neglect, and physical maltreatment, as well as sexual maltreatment, to sexual victimization and peer bullying victimization outside the home. It was hypothesized that paternal-perpetrated emotional maltreatment would be the strongest predictor of later sexual and peer bullying victimization, and that sexual maltreatment would predict sexual re-victimization.

Participants and setting: Participants included data from 263 adolescent and young adult women who had previously taken part in one of three larger studies conducted in an academic research setting investigating the relation between stress and depression. All participants had been recruited from the wider community or clinician referral and met criteria for a unipolar depressive disorder.

Methods: Psychiatric diagnoses were assessed with a structured diagnostic interview. Childhood maltreatment and victimization were assessed retrospectively with a semi-structured contextual interview that includes standardized ratings.

Results: Paternal-perpetrated emotional abuse was the only maltreatment type that was independently associated with sexual (OR = 3.09, p = .004) and peer bullying (OR = 1.41, p = .05) re-victimization over other forms of maltreatment and indicators of depression severity.

Conclusions: These findings provide an important foundation for future research examining the mechanisms driving the relation between father's hostility, criticism, and rejection and daughters' revictimization that can ultimately provide targets for prevention in girls at highest risk.

Keywords: Childhood maltreatment; Depression; Peer bullying; Sexual victimization.