Abstract
Research indicates that there is a significant association between trauma in childhood and negative psychological outcomes in adulthood. This thesis aimed to investigate the role of individual types of childhood trauma in the development of negative and positive mental and physical health outcomes in adulthood. This thesis consists of four empirical studies utilising both quantitative and qualitative methods. Study one used a cross sectional quantitative approach and investigated the effects of the individual types of trauma as defined by the CTQ28 childhood trauma questionnaire on physical wellbeing, as well as the psychological aspects of anxiety, depression, negative affectivity, and social inhibition. The results demonstrate no significant effect on physical outcomes in adulthood, however, emotional neglect and abuse were the greatest predictors for psychological outcomes. Study two was a qualitative study to investigate how adults who had experienced childhood trauma made sense of their experiences in adulthood. Thematic analysis identified main themes relating to resilience, self-identity, and social interaction. The transcending theme identified was adaptation and posttraumatic growth, with the overarching theme of the qualitative study being a continuous rescripting in adulthood for those that had experienced childhood trauma. Study three used a cross sectional quantitative design and examined the relationship between childhood trauma and resilience, altruism, post traumatic growth, and self-esteem. The results showed that emotional abuse and neglect in childhood was related to higher resilience and posttraumatic growth in adulthood. Study four used an experimental design to assess the relative impact of short-term positive psychology interventions on anxiety, current mood, positive affect, and negative affect and whether this varied according to childhood trauma. The study demonstrated that there was little effect of these interventions across all trauma types. Overall, this thesis shows there is a significant difference between individual types of childhood trauma, and both positive and negative outcomes in adulthood.