Abusive relationships: Is a new category for traumatization needed?

Betrayal Trauma and Barriers to Forming New Intimate Relationships Among Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Many survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) experience betrayal trauma, which affects future intimate relationships. Yet many services extended to victims of IPV focus on keeping the victim safe, not helping survivors establish new healthy intimate relationships. Using betrayal trauma as a lens, this phenomenological study incorporates semistructured interviews to explore the various ways betrayal trauma manifests itself and acts as barriers to forming new healthy intimate relationships among survivors of IPV. Thematic analysis with nine survivors of IPV revealed four ways betrayal trauma manifests and acts as barriers to establishing new healthy intimate relationships: (a) vulnerability/fear, (b) relationship expectations, (c) shame/low self-esteem, and (d) communications issues. This article has implications for those working with survivors of IPV.

Post-traumatic stress and psychological health following infidelity in unmarried young adults

Infidelity is often conceptualized as a traumatic event; however, little research has explored this topic empirically, particularly in unmarried adults. We determined the prevalence of infidelity-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among unmarried adults who experienced a partner's infidelity and whether probable infidelity-related PTSD was associated with additional psychological health outcomes (i.e., depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and anxiety symptoms). We also investigated whether negative post-traumatic cognitions mediated the associations between infidelity-related PTSD symptoms and psychological health. This study included 73 adults (M age = 19.42, SE = 0.19 years) who experienced infidelity within a committed nonmarital relationship within the last 5 years. Controlling for gender, race, and exposure to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders Criterion A traumas, 45.2% of our sample reported symptoms suggesting probable infidelity-related PTSD. Whether used as continuous or categorical predictor, infidelity-related PTSD symptoms were significantly associated with depressive symptoms, although results for perceived stress and anxiety symptoms were mixed. Post-traumatic cognitions acted as a partial mediator for depressive symptoms and full mediator for perceived stress and anxiety symptoms. This empirical evidence suggests that infidelity may produce PTSD symptoms at a relatively high rate, even in unmarried young adults, and may put individuals at risk for poorer psychological health, partially through post-traumatic cognitions.