Wark Mary Jo, Kruczek Theresa, Boley Amanda
Department of Educational Psychology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA.
Child Abuse Negl. 2003 Sep;27(9):1033-43. doi: 10.1016/s0145-2134(03)00162-5.
The goal of this study was to demonstrate the relationship between retrospective reports of child neglect, family of origin functioning, and current psychological distress. It was hypothesized that experience of childhood emotional neglect would be associated with lower levels of cohesion and adaptability in participants' family of origin and greater levels of current psychological distress. Gender effects were explored.
Retrospective reports of emotional neglect in childhood were quantified by use of a parental bonding measure, specifically by assessing level of perceived parental care. Participants were assigned to one of three groups based on level of care scores: neglect by a primary male caregiver, neglect by a primary female caregiver, and no neglect. These groups were compared on three variables: current psychological functioning, retrospective report of family of origin adaptability, and retrospective report of family of origin cohesiveness. Amount of time left in the care of others was used as a covariate based on attachment theory literature.
Data were analyzed for 69 female and 22 male undergraduate students. Participants who reported a childhood experience of emotional neglect by a primary female caregiver described greater current psychological distress than those reporting no neglect or neglect by a primary male caregiver. Participants who experienced emotional neglect by a primary female caregiver, as compared to those reporting emotional neglect by a primary male caregiver and those reporting no neglect, described lower cohesion and adaptability in their family of origin. There were no differences between male and female participants in terms of impact of emotional neglect.
This study suggests potential caregiver gender effects, regardless of respondent gender. Perceived neglect by female, but not male caregivers, led to psychological distress in adulthood and was associated with lower cohesion and adaptability in one's family of origin. Future research should attempt to account for the participants' expectations regarding male and female caregiver roles.
本研究旨在阐明儿童期忽视的回顾性报告、原生家庭功能与当前心理困扰之间的关系。研究假设为，童年期情感忽视经历与参与者原生家庭中较低的凝聚力和适应性以及更高水平的当前心理困扰相关。同时探讨了性别效应。
通过一项父母养育方式测量工具，具体是评估感知到的父母关爱程度，来量化童年期情感忽视的回顾性报告。参与者根据关爱得分水平被分为三组：主要男性照料者的忽视、主要女性照料者的忽视以及无忽视。对这三组在三个变量上进行比较：当前心理功能、原生家庭适应性的回顾性报告以及原生家庭凝聚力的回顾性报告。根据依恋理论文献，他人照料的剩余时间被用作协变量。
对69名女大学生和22名男大学生的数据进行了分析。报告童年期受到主要女性照料者情感忽视的参与者，相较于报告无忽视或受到主要男性照料者忽视的参与者，表现出更严重的当前心理困扰。与报告受到主要男性照料者情感忽视和报告无忽视的参与者相比，经历主要女性照料者情感忽视的参与者称其原生家庭的凝聚力和适应性更低。在情感忽视的影响方面，男女参与者之间没有差异。
本研究表明，无论被调查者性别如何，潜在的照料者性别效应是存在的。女性照料者而非男性照料者被感知到的忽视，会导致成年后的心理困扰，并与原生家庭中较低的凝聚力和适应性相关。未来的研究应尝试考虑参与者对男性和女性照料者角色的期望。
