Childhood Emotional Abuse and Effects on Adult Behavioral Health, Motivation, and Resilience

Childhood emotional abuse (CEA) is a frequently overlooked form of maltreatment that disrupts attachment formation and increases vulnerability to depression, anxiety, and other internalizing symptoms in adulthood. Because the harm is relational and often invisible, its long-term effects can persist without recognition. This study examined how CEA related to adult internalizing behaviors, resilience, and motivation, and whether resilience and motivation moderated these relationships. Attachment theory guided the framework for understanding how early emotional deprivation shapes later functioning. A quantitative correlational design was used with 249 adults who completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form (CTQ-SF), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire (TSRQ). Analyses included descriptive statistics, correlations, regressions, and moderation testing. Findings showed that higher CEA scores predicted increased internalizing symptoms. CEA was negatively associated with resilience and autonomous motivation, indicating reduced adaptive coping among survivors. Resilience and motivation each partially buffered the impact of CEA on internalizing behaviors. These results highlight the need for interventions that strengthen resilience, support autonomous motivation, and address attachment-based disruptions in adults affected by emotional abuse.