Narrative identity of adult survivors of childhood psychological maltreatment (CPM)

There is much evidence to support the link of childhood adverse experiences with mental health outcomes later in life. However, little has been investigated on the qualitative aspect of the impact of trauma, much more so with childhood psychological maltreatment (CPM), that highlights the accounts of individuals after period of exposure towards adulthood. CPM, in the study, encapsulates both psychological abuse (commission) and neglect (omission). A narrative approach provided an apt mechanism to examine in-depth experiences that quantitative analyses often miss out. Using a life story approach, the narrative identity of 7 adult survivors was described. Results showed that narrative identity of the participants were situated from traumatic beginnings, affecting self-concept as well as social relationships, that gradually progressed to various outcomes in the present through actions or turning points. Themes of the narrative identity that surfaced from the life stories were explained. Although movement towards growth was seen, scars of their past still resonate to the present and sometimes impede present progress. Nevertheless, adult survivors are still capable of finding meaning even in traumatic experiences such as that of CPM