Identification with the aggressor and doubt regarding abuse-related appraisals as predictors of depression and anxiety in childhood abuse survivors.

Abstract

Childhood abuse places individuals at an elevated risk for psychopathology, including depressive and anxiety symptoms. Theory suggests that two abuse-related processes, identification with the aggressor (IWA) and doubt regarding abuse-related appraisals (DARA), may further exacerbate survivors' vulnerability. This longitudinal study examined the associations between IWA and DARA and both concurrent and subsequent depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as the predictive role of membership in IWA-DARA latent profiles in symptom development. An online survey was administered to 718 adult female survivors of childhood abuse residing in Israel. Participants completed self-report measures assessing IWA, DARA, depression, anxiety, and childhood abuse characteristics at Time 1 (T1), and a follow-up survey assessing depression and anxiety at Time 2 (T2; n = 245). Analyses revealed that higher IWA and DARA scores at T1 were significantly associated with greater concurrent and subsequent depression and anxiety symptoms. Two profiles emerged, representing co-occurring high versus low levels of IWA and DARA (i.e., reflecting overall co-occurrence of both constructs at different levels). Latent profile membership predicted depressive and anxiety symptoms at T2, beyond age, abuse severity, abuse recurrence, and baseline symptom levels. Findings suggest that elevated IWA and DARA, particularly when co-occurring, are associated with higher emotional distress and greater risk for long-term psychopathology. These results underscore the importance of assessing both relational and cognitive-emotional processes in clinical interventions with survivors of childhood abuse. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).