Cherokee Adult Daughters of Abused Women: Childhood Adversity and Adult Well-Being

Purpose:  Although the life trajectories of adult daughters of abused women are receiving more attention, a critical barrier to generalizing these findings to Native Americans is that they are minimally represented (1% to 4.4%) or excluded altogether in such investigations.  This study, therefore, set out to further explore Cherokee adult daughters’ adaptation in the aftermath of childhood exposure to domestic violence to better understand how such childhood adversity is related to adult levels of psychological distress and hardiness.  We expected to find significant bivariate relationships between adverse childhood experiences and adult psychological symptoms, such that with elevated exposure to violence there would be elevated levels of psychological symptoms.

Method: Participants were recruited through Cherokee Nation social media and print forums.  A total of 94 inquiries were received and 53 of those met purposive sampling criteria:  Cherokee females between the ages of 21-65, who witnessed during childhood for three or more years their mothers being abused by intimate male partners.  Forty (76%) completed standardized measures of psychosocial functioning.     

Participants (N=40) ranged in age from 24 to 65 years old (M=44, SD=13.4) and experienced on average five (range from 1-9) adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).  In regard to childhood exposure to domestic violence, all reported witnessing severe physical violence.  Abusers included primarily fathers (n=30), stepfathers (n=5) or boyfriends (n=5).   Other ACEs included witnessing adult alcohol use (88%), drug use (33%), mental illness (53%), suicide attempts (28%), criminal activity (25%), incarceration (15%), and unemployment (38%).  In regard to child emotional abuse, 70% reported verbal assault and threats of physical harm.  Fifty percent experienced physical abuse where they were hit so hard there were marks or injuries.  In regard to sexual abuse, 53% reported being fondled, 33% reported attempted and 23% reported actual intercourse.      

Results:  During childhood, participants residing with a mentally ill adult had significantly higher adult anxiety scores compared to those who did not (M=21.05, 12.89 respectively, t=-2.25, p=.05).  In addition, those who had unemployed parents during childhood had significantly higher adult anxiety scores (M=20.08, 11.47; t=-2.5, p=.05) compared to those with employed parents.  Those who experienced attempted sexual penetration exhibited significantly higher adult anxiety and stress levels (anxiety: M=23.38, 13.70; t=-2.5, p=.05; stress:  M=28.92, 19.26 respectively; t=-2.3, p=.05) compared those who did not. Those who reported actual intercourse had significantly higher stress levels than those who did not (M=30.67, 20.00; t=-2.4, p=.05). 

In regard to PTSD, 64% of participants met clinical symptom levels (M=51, symptomatic=51-85,).  Higher PTSD scores were significantly correlated with higher depression (r=.86, p<.01), anxiety (r=.78, p<.01), and stress (r=.79, p<.01) scores.   Furthermore, higher PTSD scores were associated with lower resilience scores (r=-.44, p<.01).  Independent sample t-tests showed significant differences regarding those who received counseling in adulthood with those who did not including higher stress (M=25.81, 16.07; t=-2.3, p=.05) and lower resilience scores (M=61.62, 81.07; t=3.61, p=.001). 

Implications:  This study’s findings advance our understanding of child development and family processes in domestically violent environments while also informing us about resilience and mental health implications for Cherokee daughters facing such adversity.