Abstract

Child maltreatment (CM) has been associated with the later development of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among emerging adults. Numerous attachment studies have documented the association of insecure attachments with CM. There is little research on the independent effects of anxious and avoidant maternal attachment on later psychopathology and even less on the effects of peer attachment. Secure peer attachments can improve emotional regulation strategies as well as create healthy social support systems which may buffer against the development of later psychopathology. This study examined the independent effects of maternal and peer attachment in the relationship between CM and the development of BPD and PTSD through the completion of self-report questionnaires by emerging adults (age 18-30). Measures included the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Relationship Structures Questionnaire (ECR-RS), PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and the McLean Screening Instrument for BPD (MSI-BPD). It was hypothesized that a) increased severity of CM would be associated with higher scores on the PCL-5 and MSI-BPD; b) maternal attachment anxiety would moderate the relationship between CM and BPD while maternal attachment avoidance would moderate the relationship between CM and PTSD; c) increased maternal insecure attachment would be associated with higher scores on the PCL-5 and MSI-BPD and d) insecure peer attachment would moderate the relationship between insecure maternal attachment and later psychopathology. Results indicated main effects between CM and BPD as well as CM and PTSD, however both maternal and peer attachment were not shown to moderate the CM and BPD or CM and PTSD relationship. Anxiety, Depression, BPD, and PTSD were all shown to have positive associations with each other.

Publication Date

8-8-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Experimental Psychology (MS)

Department, Program, or Center

Psychology, Department of

College

College of Liberal Arts

Advisor

Lindsay Schenkel

Advisor/Committee Member

Stephanie Godleski

Advisor/Committee Member

Dustin Haraden

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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