The impact of betrayal trauma on the tendency to trust.

Abstract

Early experiences of violation perpetrated by close others, or betrayal traumas, may interfere with developing social capacities, including the ability to make healthy decisions about whom to trust. Betrayal trauma theory posits that survivors of trauma are at increased risk of making inaccurate trust decisions in interpersonal contexts, thus interfering with intimacy and elevating risk for revictimization. The current study examined the impact of betrayal trauma exposure on trust tendencies using both self-report and behavioral measures in a college sample. Self-report measures were used to explore general and relational (partner-specific) trust. The Trust Game, an experimental economics task, was used to investigate differences in trust tendencies between participants with and without histories of high betrayal trauma. As predicted, and in line with previous findings, high betrayal trauma exposure was associated with lower levels of self-reported general and relational trust. Self-reported general trust correlated positively with behavior during the Trust Game. Contrary to our hypothesis, participants with high betrayal trauma histories were not significantly more or less willing to trust during the Trust Game. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.

Financial shocks and the erosion of interpersonal trust: Evidence from longitudinal data

“…Columns (2) and (3), as well as (5) and (6) acknowledge the potential influence of the suggested control variables and individual-level fixed effects. With respect to positive shocks, an initially strong connection to trust levels becomes statistically meaningless when fixed effects on the individual level are accounted for (these results are in line with those from Gobin and Freyd, 2014). From column (1) to (2) alone, the magnitude of the main coefficient of interest decreases by a factor of 2.6, from 0.08 to 0.03.…”

Mistrust of others as a mediator of the relationship between trauma exposure and use of partner aggression.

“…In a study among undergraduate students, Gobin and Freyd (2014) found that experiences of trauma involving betrayal were associated with lower levels of self-reported general and relationship-specific trust. Prior research also indicates the particular importance of mistrust to aggressive behavior.…”

Betrayal Trauma, Health Care Relationships, and Health in Patients with a Chronic Neurovascular Condition

“…Individuals who experience high-betrayal trauma are less likely to trust others (Gobin & Freyd, 2013), and might thus encounter additional challenges in interacting with providers. In this study, previous betrayal trauma was found to predict the quality of the relationship an individual has with his or her medical provider.…”