Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects
Date of Award
Spring 2026
Document Type
Honors Paper
Degree Name
Psychology-BS
Department
Psychology
Advisor
Dr. Noam Shpancer
First Committee Member
Dr. Noam Shpancer
Second Committee Member
Dr. Meredith Frey
Third Committee Member
Dr. Dennis Davenport
Keywords
victim blaming, childhood trauma, therapy, psychology
Subject Categories
Higher Education | Psychology | Sociology
Abstract
Childhood trauma has been shown to have lasting negative impacts on both physical and psychological health, and these effects have been shown to linger into adulthood. Specifically, prior abuse and its effects have been shown to predict victim-blaming attitudes in adulthood. Luckily, many forms of therapy show promise in treating the effects of childhood trauma. A question arises as to whether therapy may affect victim-blaming attitudes in people who’ve experienced childhood adversity. Based on previous research, I hypothesized that 1. Those who score higher on a measure of childhood adversity (ACEs) will score higher on victim-blaming attitudes; 2. Those who score high on the ACEs and received therapy will score lower on victim-blaming attitudes compared to those who did not receive therapy. Results failed to provide support for both hypotheses. The implications of these results are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed.
Licensing Permission
Copyright, all rights reserved. Fair Use
Recommended Citation
Kirkendall, Atlas, "The Impact of Therapy on the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Victim-Blaming in Adulthood" (2026). Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects. 227.
https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/stu_honor/227
Acknowledgement 1
1
Acknowledgement 2
1