The Importance of Perception and Personality on the Association Between Childhood Neglect and Adult Social Competence

Social competence is a key component in engaging and sustaining everyday interactions. As such, it is prudent to identify factors that protect the development of social competence. In the present study, sociability and locus of control were examined as protective factors in two separate three-way in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of aggression, maltreatment & trauma Vol. 32; no. 10; pp. 1337 - 1352
Main Authors Garcia, Christian O., Berzenski, Sara R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 03.10.2023
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Child abuse & neglect
Childhood
Childhood maltreatment
College students
Competence
Effects
Emotional neglect
Locus of control
Personality
Physical neglect
Protective factors
Risk factors
Sociability
Social competence
Social skills
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Summary:Social competence is a key component in engaging and sustaining everyday interactions. As such, it is prudent to identify factors that protect the development of social competence. In the present study, sociability and locus of control were examined as protective factors in two separate three-way interaction models of the effects of childhood physical and emotional neglect on adult social competence. Participants were 405 introductory psychology students from a public Southern California University. Students answered a computerized battery of assessments examining multidomain regulation. In the physical neglect model, a significant three-way interaction was found, such that for those with an internal locus of control, sociability was a protective factor: there was a strong negative relationship between physical neglect and social competence only when sociability was lower (b = −2.763, p = .024). However, for externally controlled individuals, higher sociability acted as a risk factor, strengthening the association between physical neglect and social competence (b = −2.205, p = .037). Childhood neglect has enduring effects in the lives of maltreated individuals, but their effects are not entirely uniform. Individual traits and perceptions can serve as potential intervention targets to mitigate the effects of childhood neglect on important outcomes.
ISSN:1092-6771
1545-083X
DOI:10.1080/10926771.2023.2189045