Investigating the link between psychological maltreatment, shyness, hope, and wellbeing

Psychological maltreatment, which is expressed as a universal problem, negatively affects individuals in all areas of life, from childhood to adulthood. At the same time, exposure of individuals to psychological maltreatment in the past negatively affects their present and future behavior. The present study seeks to examine the association among psychological maltreatment, shyness, hope, and wellbeing. Using data collected from 372 Turkish university students, we tested the proposed hypotheses by hierarchical regression analysis. Psychological maltreatment was negatively associated with wellbeing and hope, and was positively associated with shyness. The findings also indicated that psychological maltreatment, shyness, and hope significantly predicted wellbeing. The results provide further evidence to support the contention that psychological maltreatment, shyness, and hope exert an influence on individual's wellbeing.