Many instances of childhood abuse involve betrayal. Betrayal is the violation of an expressed or perceived trust by a person or persons with whom a person relies upon for some aspect of his life. Betrayal has been predicted to have a significant impact on cognitions (e.g., Negative attributions for the perpetrator’s behavior), affect (e.g., sadness), and behavior (e.g., demands for retribution). Interdependence theory suggests the natural human reaction to betrayal is selforiented and focused on retribution rather than forgiveness.

However, the theory suggests innate impulses for retribution do not always result in withdrawal from the perpetrator or acts of vengeance. Instead, a process termed transformation of motivation allows one to resist selfcentered impulses in the service of long term goals, personal values, and perpetrator wellbein. Betrayal Trauma used to refer to a kind of trauma independent of the reaction to the trauma. Betrayal trauma occurs when the people or institutions on which a person depends for survival significantly violate that person’s trust or wellbeing: Childhood physical, emotional, or sexual abuse perpetrated by a caregiver are examples of betrayal trauma.

A trauma can be said to either involve betrayal or not, but can also involve varying degrees of betrayal (e.g., Abuse by a babysitter may be less betraying than abuse by a parent). The degree to which an event is traumatic may relate to the degree of fear and/or betrayal involved. Because betrayal is qualitatively different from fear, traumas that include elements of betrayal may lead to different outcomes than traumas that are only fear based. Although overall trauma exposure has been linked to psychological health difficulties, both theory and research indicate that some forms of trauma may be more deleterious than others.

However the researchers have not specifically sought to study the consequences of betrayal trauma, most abuse traumas can be classified as betrayal traumas. The current study draws on betrayal trauma theory to test the impact of exposure to trauma that involves higher levels of betrayal (HB trauma) versus exposure to trauma with lower levels of betrayal (LB trauma) on psychological and physical health problems in young adults.

International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, is a multidisciplinary quarterly designed to be the premier international forum and authority for the discussion of all aspects of emergency mental health.

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Regards,

Journal Coordinator

International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience