# Childhood Maltreatment and Adult Work Absenteeism: Work Meaningfulness as a Double-Edged Sword

## TL;DR

Childhood maltreatment may lead to higher work absenteeism, and a strong sense of work meaningfulness can worsen this for some professionals.

## Contribution

This study reveals that work meaningfulness can increase absenteeism among high-functioning childhood maltreatment survivors in helping professions.

## Key findings

- Childhood maltreatment is positively correlated with work absenteeism.
- Work meaningfulness is linked to higher absenteeism among those with childhood maltreatment histories.
- Work meaningfulness may act as a double-edged sword for maltreatment survivors in demanding jobs.

## Abstract

The adverse impacts of childhood maltreatment (CM) on an individual’s health and economic welfare are widely recognized, yet its occupational and organizational effects remain less explored. Employee absenteeism, known as absenteeism, is often a sign of workplace maladjustment and may be linked to a history of CM. Some individuals in the helping professions, who exhibit a strong sense of purpose in their employment and pursue it in demanding environments, are CM survivors. This study investigates whether a heightened sense of meaningfulness in their work is associated with increased absenteeism among this subgroup. We recruited 320 helping professionals from a variety of social and mental health settings, one third of whom reported experiencing CM. As hypothesized, CM was positively correlated with work absenteeism. Furthermore, the relationship between work meaningfulness and absenteeism was moderated by their CM history: among those with CM experiences, greater work meaningfulness was associated with higher absenteeism rates. Our findings highlight the possibility that work meaningfulness may operate as a double-edged sword, and the importance of better understanding the challenges that high-functioning survivors of CM face within organizational contexts.