Article ID: 180516098
Increasing evidence suggests that childhood abuse is a crucial factor in different types of mental and physical illnesses and maladaptation. Therefore, clarifying the mechanisms by which childhood abuse influence health is a pressing issue in health psychology. Insecure attachment and high dissociative tendencies are known adverse effects of childhood abuse, and both these tendencies are known to form the background to physical and psychological diseases, as well as interpersonal problems in later life. Moreover, alexithymia and somatoform dissociation could also be risk factors. Summarizing the results of our previous studies indicated the following. (1) Effects of childhood abuse on dissociative tendencies mediate the insecure attachment. (2) Influence of childhood abuse on somatization mediates the insecure attachment, alexithymia, and dissociative tendencies. (3) Integrated models are possible. We have described dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system as an additional factor in the background to the deterioration of health, which could also result in interpersonal difficulties. We have suggested different perspectives for conducting future research, and proposed methods of supporting the victims of childhood abuse.
