Lahav, Yael, Cloitre, Marylene, Hyland, Philip, Shevlin, Mark, Ben-Ezra, Menachem and Karatzias, Thanos (2025) Complex PTSD and identification with the aggressor among survivors of childhood abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 160 (107196). pp. 1-13. ISSN 0145-2134
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Abstract
Childhood abuse (CA) is a risk factor for trauma-related disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). This severe form of interpersonal trauma may result in “identification with the aggressor” (IWA), in which the individual may take on the beliefs, perspectives, and behaviors of the perpetrator. Although previous evidence suggests that IWA may be particularly related to CPTSD as compared to PTSD, there has been no study that investigated this hypothesis.
Objective
The current study explored the relations between IWA and PTSD and CPTSD symptoms, and the contribution of IWA to the excess probability of PTSD and CPTSD classifications, as compared to no classification.
Participants and setting
This cross-sectional study was conducted among 320 Israeli adult CA survivors aged 21–63 (M = 42.04, SD = 10.81).
Methods
An online survey was completed by a convenience sample of adult CA survivors.
Results
Replacing one's agency with that of the perpetrator as part of IWA had a significant effect on both PTSD and CPTSD symptoms (ES = 0.36 and 0.24, respectively), and served as a risk factor for both PTSD and CPTSD classifications. Moreover, analysis of the models' predicted values reveals that the predicted probability of CPTSD classification was 3 to 5 times higher than on the probability of PTSD classifications, for low to high values of the replacing one's agency scale, respectively.
Conclusions
The current findings suggest that IWA may describe some of the deep and long-lasting detriments of CA on self, and may contribute to the development of CPTSD symptoms.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Posttraumatic stress disorder; PTSD; Complex posttraumatic stress disorder; CPTSD; Identification with the aggressor; Trauma; |
| Academic Unit: | Assisting Living & Learning,ALL institute Faculty of Science and Engineering > Psychology |
| Item ID: | 20857 |
| Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107196 |
| Depositing User: | Philip Hyland |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Nov 2025 13:09 |
| Journal or Publication Title: | Child Abuse & Neglect |
| Publisher: | Elsevier |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Related URLs: | |
| Use Licence: | This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here |
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