Self-structure and childhood maltreatment: Successful compartmentalization and the struggle of integration

This study examined the self-structure (compartmentalization, self-complexity, and differential importance) of college students who reported maltreatment events before age 15. The focus was on emotional and sexual maltreatment, although physical maltreatment was taken into account. Only individuals who reported high sexual and high emotional events displayed the integrative self-structures expected of individuals with chronically salient negative self-aspects. Individuals who reported only sexual maltreatment had more compartmentalized self-structures than individuals with low (or no) maltreatment events. Follow-up analyses suggested that within maltreated individuals, compartmentalized self-structures were associated with lower levels of distress and defenses than were integrative self-structures, especially among those who reported only sexual events. The relatively poor adjustment of individuals with integrative self-structures is interpreted here as a sign of ongoing struggle with the negative self-beliefs that accompany maltreatment.