The Association Between the Report of Abuse in Childhood and Perceptions of Safety in Current Adult Intimate Relationships

This study investigated the association between reporting the experience of childhood abuse and perceptions of safety in current adult relationships. Data from 177 couples were collected from both clinic and community samples. Results suggest that when violence is present, people who reported being abused as a child are more likely to have lower feelings of safety in their current relationship than those who have not been abused in childhood. When no violence is present in the relationship, there is no difference in perceptions of safety between those who were and were not abused as a child. Clinical implications are discussed.