PERSONALITY STABILITY IN VICTIMS OF PARENTAL PHYSICAL ABUSE : A LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Abstract: Very little is known about the effects of parental physical abuse on personality stability in adults. Thus, this study aimed to examine if parental physical abuse had an effect on personality stability over time above and beyond the effects of age and anxiety/depression. Furthermore, the study aimed to examine if gender differences could be found in personality stability even after controlling for the effects of parental physical abuse, age an anxiety/depression. The data used in the present study came from published datasets from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) studies and included a sample of 3,265 adults aged between 20 and 72 years at wave 1, 45.1% were males (M = 45.39, SD = 11.05) and 54.9% were females (M =45.36, SD = 11.27). Significant gender differences emerged in all of the Big Five personality traits. Parental physical abuse had no effect on any of the personality traits or their stability. Future research could take into consideration the limitations of this study in order to obtain better knowledge of the effects of physical abuse on personality stability. Practical implications regarding how therapy and social support affect the aftermath of abuse have been discussed.