Examining the role of intimate partner violence, emotion regulation difficulties and criminal behaviors in relationship between childhood neglect and Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Child neglect is known as a form of chronic mistreatment that persists over time. Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), defined as a mental health issue that develops following repeated trauma, is associated with child neglect. This study aims to examine the mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties, intimate partner violence, and criminal behaviors in the relationship between childhood neglect and CPTSD. The study sample consists of 680 individuals who are married or in a romantic relationship. The results obtained in this study support the main hypothesis of the research. However, the model examining the mediating effects of emotion regulation difficulties, exposure to violence in relationships, and criminal behaviors in the relationship between physical neglect and CPTSD was not statistically significant. On the other hand, the model that examined the mediating roles of emotion regulation difficulties, tendencies to perpetrate violence in relationships, and criminal behaviors in the relationship between physical neglect and CPTSD was statistically significant. Additionally, it was observed that emotion regulation difficulties, intimate partner violence (tendencies to perpetrate violence in relationships/exposure to violence in relationships), and criminal behaviors mediate the relationship between emotional neglect and CPTSD. The mediation roles identified by the tested model in this study are significant because they have not been previously tested with a similar model in earlier research. It is expected that this will provide insights for future studies on different variables that could mediate the relationship between dependent and independent variables. Keywords: Childhood neglect, complex trauma, intimate partner violence, criminal behaviors, emotion regulation difficulties.