Investigation of the relationships between childhood abuse experiences, perceived parental attitudes, and gender roles in adults

This study examines the relationships between childhood abuse experiences, perceived parental attitudes, and gender roles in adult individuals. Childhood represents a critical developmental stage during which the foundations of individual identity, personality, and value systems are established. The primary aim of the research is to explore how traumatic childhood experiences are influenced by parental attitudes and gender roles and how these factors affect individuals' psychosocial development. The study was conducted with 515 participants aged 18 years and older, selected using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected online through Google Forms to analyze the relationships among childhood traumas, parental attitudes, and gender roles. Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationships between the study variables. The Mann-Whitney U test and one-way analysis of variance (Kruskal-Wallis) were applied to examine variations based on socio-demographic characteristics. The Dunnett-Bonferroni post hoc test was employed to compare scale scores among different groups. Additionally, Polynomial and Stepwise regression analyses were conducted to determine whether perceived parental attitudes and gender roles predict traumatic childhood experiences. The findings reveal that authoritarian and protective parental attitudes are significantly correlated with childhood trauma, while democratic attitudes appear to mitigate these effects. Traditional gender roles were found to be associated with childhood trauma, although no direct effect of male and female gender roles was identified. Demographic characteristics also played a significant role in these relationships. The analysis results demonstrate that the overall model is statistically significant (F = 17.472, p < 0.001), confirming that the independent variables have a meaningful impact on childhood trauma experiences. The findings underscore the importance of parental attitudes and gender roles in understanding the psychosocial development of individuals with traumatic childhood experiences, highlighting the necessity of adopting a multidimensional approach. This study contributes significantly to the literature by presenting results within the context of identity development theories and gender role approaches, offering valuable insights into the complex interplay between childhood experiences, family dynamics, and societal influences.