The relationship of compliance with a background of childhood neglect and physical and sexual abuse

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between compliance and a childhood history of parental neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse. The participants were 113 people receiving outpatient treatment for substance misuse. They completed the Parental Neglect and Physical and Sexual Abuse Questionnaire, the Gudjonsson Compliance Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The majority of the participants (64%) reported one or more type of abuse. Compliance was significantly related to all three types of abuse. Discriminant function analysis (stepwise) showed that stress and low self-esteem were the best predictors of parental neglect and anxiety of physical abuse. Only compliance discriminated between the groups with regard to sexual abuse. Evidence was found that multiple types of abuse have cumulative effects with regard to compliance. The results support the hypothesis that compliance is significantly associated with a reported childhood history of neglect and abuse.