Exploring the moderated mediation of self-differentiation in the relationship between childhood trauma and partner abuse

Abstract

Objectives: This study examines the role of self-differentiation as a potential protective factor that may buffer individuals from the detrimental impact of childhood trauma on the health of relationships. Methods : This study tests the mediating process of submissive behavior in the relationship between exposure to childhood trauma and the experience of partner abuse, while determining whether self-differentiation moderates the indirect path. Results : Data were collected from 239 (Male=82, Female=157) individuals in romantic relationships. The moderated mediation model was tested using Hayes' PROCESS macro (Model 14). Study findings indicated that childhood trauma was associated with both submissive behavior (? = 0.25, p =.02) and experience of partner abuse (? = 0.04, p <.001). However, submissiveness did not directly predict abuse (? = 0.01, p =.34). Self-differentiation was found to significantly moderate the relationship between submissive behavior and partner abuse (? = -0.02, p =.04), with submissiveness significantly predicting experience of partner abuse only among individuals with low levels of self-differentiation. These results indicated that self-differentiation can shape the association between submissive tendencies and partner abuse, however the moderated mediation model was not statistically significant. Discussion : The results of this study underscore self-differentiation as the psychological resource potentially minimizing the risk of maladaptive relational outcomes in trauma-exposed individuals. Future research should examine whether enhancing self-differentiation could play a role in trauma-informed interventions, as current findings are exploratory and based on cross-sectional data. © The Author(s) 2026.