EFFECTS OF EMOTIONAL ABUSE IN FAMILY AND WORK ENVIRONMENTS Awareness for Emotional Abuse

ABSTRACT. This study investigates links between emotional abuse and emotional awareness. Predictions included a positive correlation be-tween emotional abuse and alexithymia, and that few individuals report-ing emotional abuse would self-label as having been abused. Eighty participants completed anonymous, self-report surveys with symptom and trauma inventories. Participants were asked if they were physically, sexually, or emotionally abused (using the word “abused”); these ques-tions preceded symptom and maltreatment measures. Emotional abuse Rachel E. Goldsmith, PhD, recently graduated from the University of Oregon Psy-chology Department. She has co-authored papers on topics that include trauma aware-ness, cultural aspects of trauma, and trauma and fiction. She has worked as a therapist in university and community agencies, and has been an instructor for the Psychology of Trauma undergraduate course at the University of Oregon