Interpersonal and Social Functioning Among Psychotherapy Patients: The Indirect Effect of Childhood Adversity

This study examined the mediating role of pathogenic beliefs on the relationship between patients' recollections of experienced adverse parenting in childhood and adult interpersonal and social problems. A total of 210 psychotherapy outpatients rated their experiences of perceived adverse parenting in childhood and completed measures of psychological distress, interpersonal problems and social impairment, and internalized beliefs about self and others. Significant mediation effects were observed for two of the three belief domains: "cannot rely on others" and "undeserving." Although both were significant mediators between adverse parenting and symptom distress, only "cannot rely on others" was a significant mediator predicting interpersonal problems, and only "undeserving" was a significant mediator predicting impaired social functioning. Thus, patients' underlying convictions regarding their self-worth seem to play a role in the ability to develop social roles, whereas the beliefs about the steadfastness of others play an important role in the capacity for interpersonal relating.