Child compliance/noncompliance and maternal contributors to internalization in maltreating and nonmaltreating dyads

Moral development in maltreated and nonmaltreated children was examined by coding child compliance and noncompliance behaviors in a mother-child interaction during a cleanup situation that followed a semistructured free play. Features of child compliance/noncompliance involve a shift from reliance on external controls to internal mechanisms, thereby reflecting child internalization of the maternal agenda. Differences in maltreating versus comparison mothers' use of control strategies (power-assertive and inductive techniques) and their relations to child internalization were examined. Eighty-nine mother-child dyads participated; approximately half of the children (n = 46) had documented histories of maltreatment and the remaining children (n = 43) were nonmaltreated, demographically similar comparison children. Maltreated children were divided into two subgroups: physically abused and neglected. Compared with nonmaltreated children, abused children were found to exhibit less internalization, whereas neglected children displayed significantly more negative affect. No differences were found between groups for the maternal control strategies. However, maltreated and nonmaltreated groups differed in the maternal variables that predicted child internalization. A lower level of maternal negative affect was linked to child internalization in maltreated children, whereas a lower level of maternal joy predicted internalization for the comparison children. The findings suggest that maltreated children exhibit both behavioral and affective differences in their moral development, with differential effects based on the type of maltreatment. The clinical implications for maltreated children's self and moral development are discussed.     

The Effects of Physical Abuse on Children's Social Relationships

Social behavior and peer status of 87 physically abused 8–12-year-old urban children were compared with those of 87 case-matched nonmaltreated classmates. Peer nominations and peer ratings were collected in classrooms, social networks were assessed by child interview, family variables were assessed by interviewing mothers, and behavior problems were rated by parents and teachers. Significant findings were that abused children had lower peer status and less positive reciprocity with peers chosen as friends; they were rated by peers as more aggressive and less cooperative and by parents and teachers as more disturbed; and their social networks showed more insularity, atypicality, and negativity. Social behavior as perceived by peers accounted for a significant portion of the variance in social status; global disturbance measures did not add to this association. Results are discussed in terms of a context of family violence in the development of social maladjustment.     

Variables associated with disrupted placement in a select sample of abused and neglected children

The purpose of this study was to examine the placement history of 172 abused and/or neglected children who had been placed in a residential home for maltreated children. Data were collected on the child's placement history (i.e., number of placements, time in transition, and placement rate) and also on child and family characteristics. Pearson correlation coefficients were run between child and family variables and each of the three placement history variables. In addition, t-tests were also used as a method of analysis. Results indicated that children with the following characteristics or life circumstances experienced the more disruptive experience while in foster care: children having severe behavior problems; children who were very young when first removed from their natural home; and children having drug addicted and/or alcoholic parents. Implications of these findings indicate social workers and judges need to be alert to the potential for system abuse of children in foster placement, responsible long-term planning for any child in foster care is critical, and those involved in therapeutic treatment for abused/neglected children should be attentive to the child's placement history.     

Individual, family, and neighborhood factors distinguish resilient from non-resilient maltreated children: a cumulative stressors model

OBJECTIVE: Children who are physically maltreated are at risk of a range of adverse outcomes in childhood and adulthood, but some children who are maltreated manage to function well despite their history of adversity. Which individual, family, and neighborhood characteristics distinguish resilient from non-resilient maltreated children? Do children's individual strengths promote resilience even when children are exposed to multiple family and neighborhood stressors (cumulative stressors model)? METHODS: Data were from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Study which describes a nationally representative sample of 1,116 twin pairs and their families. Families were home-visited when the twins were 5 and 7 years old, and teachers provided information about children's behavior at school. Interviewers rated the likelihood that children had been maltreated based on mothers' reports of harm to the child and child welfare involvement with the family. RESULTS: Resilient children were those who engaged in normative levels of antisocial behavior despite having been maltreated. Boys (but not girls) who had above-average intelligence and whose parents had relatively few symptoms of antisocial personality were more likely to be resilient versus non-resilient to maltreatment. Children whose parents had substance use problems and who lived in relatively high crime neighborhoods that were low on social cohesion and informal social control were less likely to be resilient versus non-resilient to maltreatment. Consistent with a cumulative stressors model of children's adaptation, individual strengths distinguished resilient from non-resilient children under conditions of low, but not high, family and neighborhood stress. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that for children residing in multi-problem families, personal resources may not be sufficient to promote their adaptive functioning.     

Maternal variables related to sexually abused children's functioning.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore how mothers' developmental history and current functioning affects their sexually abused children's functioning and recovery. METHOD: A sample of 67 African-American mothers and their sexually abused children participated in this study. Interviews and a range of adult and child measures were administered in order to assess maternal developmental history and current functioning, and child functioning. RESULTS: Mothers' past experiences as children were associated with their children's behavior and general functioning following the sexual abuse. Mothers who experienced more discontinuity of childhood care, who were sexually abused as children, and/or had more problems in their family of origin had children who showed poorer functioning and more behavioral symptomatology. In addition, mothers who currently were experiencing more trauma symptomatology, reported substance abuse, and/or were less able to provide support to their children, had children with more behavior problems and poorer functioning. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study point to the impact of mothers' developmental history and current functioning upon the symptomatology of their sexually abused children.     

Teacher ratings of the achievement-related classroom behaviors of maltreated and non-maltreated children

This study investigated in what ways, if any, maltreated children differ from nonmaltreated children in regard to achievement-related classroom behaviors. Elementary school teachers completed the Hahnemann Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale on 33 maltreated children, 33 non-maltreated public assistance children, and 33 non-maltreated lower middle class children. The maltreated children were matched to the comparison children on gender and grade level. Results indicated that the maltreated children exhibited significantly less classroom behavior that is positively linked with academic achievement than did a comparable group of non-maltreated, public assistance children. However, the maltreated children did not differ significantly as a group from the public assistance children in most behaviors that are negatively linked with academic achievement, such as disruptive social involvement in the classroom. When compared with the lower middle class children, the maltreated children were rated as engaging in significantly less classroom behavior that is positively related to academic achievement and significantly more classroom behavior that is negatively related to academic achievement.     

Children neglected: Where cumulative risk theory fails

Neglected children, by far the majority of children maltreated, experience an environment most deficient in cognitive stimulation and language exchange. When physical abuse co-occurs with neglect, there is more stimulation through negative parent–child interaction, which may lead to better cognitive outcomes, contrary to Cumulative Risk Theory. The purpose of the current study was to assess whether children only neglected perform worse on cognitive tasks than children neglected and physically abused. Utilizing LONGSCAN archived data, 271 children only neglected and 101 children neglected and physically abused in the first four years of life were compared. The two groups were assessed at age 6 on the WPPSI-R vocabulary and block design subtests, correlates of cognitive intelligence. Regression analyses were performed, controlling for additional predictors of poor cognitive outcome, including socioeconomic variables and caregiver depression. Children only neglected scored significantly worse than children neglected and abused on the WPPSI-R vocabulary subtest (p = 0.03). The groups did not differ on the block design subtest (p = 0.4). This study shows that for neglected children, additional abuse may not additively accumulate risk when considering intelligence outcomes. Children experiencing only neglect may need to be referred for services that address cognitive development, with emphasis on the linguistic environment, in order to best support the developmental challenges of neglected children     

Psychological symptoms in sexually abused girls

This study examined psychological symptoms exhibited by children who had recently been sexually abused. Twenty-four girls aged 6 to 12 years old were evaluated within six months of being abused using a variety of standardized child psychiatric instruments. Results showed a marked discrepancy between child and parent reports of symptoms. The abused children did not exhibit significant depressive, anxiety, or low self-esteem symptoms by self-report; however, their parents rated them as having significantly more behavioral problems than a normative sample but as somewhat less pathological than a clinical sample. The implications of these findings in relation to our current understanding of the psychological problems manifested by sexually abused children and for future research are discussed.     

THE STUDENT–TEACHER RELATIONSHIP QUALITY OF ABUSED CHILDREN

Considering the association between children's quality of relationships with teachers and their academic adjustment, information pertaining to how abused children are functioning in their relationships with teachers could be useful in promoting their academic success—yet there has been limited research in this area. The purpose of this study was to use cluster analyses to explore within‐group differences in relational schemas and quality of student–teacher relationships for 70 abused children. Two clusters of abused children emerged, and as hypothesized, there were significant differences in student–teacher relationships for the two clusters. The cluster with more positive relational schemas had less conflict and less dependency reported by their teachers compared to the cluster with negative relational schemas. However, there were no differences between the clusters in terms of closeness with teachers. Implications for practice in schools are discussed.     

How teachers’ values affect their evaluation of children of immigrants: Findings from Islamic and public schools

This study examines the implications of how teachers’ views of immigrant parents predict their ratings of first-grade students’ academic competence and behavioral problems. Teachers rated 191 first-grade immigrant students attending Islamic and public schools in the Northeast United States. The results showed that when teachers perceived parents as having discrepant value differences, they rated students more negatively both in terms of academic competence and behavioral problems, even after controlling for student gender and ethnicity, parental education and parental school involvement. Surprisingly, teachers in Islamic and public schools did not differ in their perceived value differences with parents. The type of school students attend, however, moderated the effects of teachers’ perceived value differences on their academic ratings, but not on their behavioral ratings. While both Islamic and public school teachers rated students’ academic competence equally high when they perceived little or no value differences with parents, public school teachers held lower academic expectations than Islamic school teachers with increased value differences. These findings suggest a mechanism by which children from immigrant families enter a path of diminished expectations, albeit through slightly different levels in Islamic and public school settings.     

Agreement on Childhood Disability between Parents and Teachers in Vietnam

The purpose of the present study was to examine agreement on childhood disability among the teachers and parents of children with cognitive delays in Vietnam. The participants were 57 teachers in kindergarten programmes (for children 2 to 6 years of age), and 106 mothers and 93 fathers of the children attending these kindergarten programmes. The data were collected using the ABILITIES Index and a demographic information form. The results indicated that teachers rated the children’s level of functioning more severely, especially in the areas of intellectual disabilities and behaviour problems, than mothers and fathers. Logistic regression that examined the factors that predicted the agreement and disagreement among parents and teachers revealed that teachers and parents were more likely to agree when the child’s disability was genetically related or physical. Screening, diagnosis and treatment issues can become more challenging for children with intellectual disabilities who do not have such physical and genetic conditions, especially when the agreement between parents and professionals on the conditions of the children is low.     

Follow-up study of traumatized children

This study compared 17 abused with 17 accident children, matched on age, race, sex, and socioeconomic status, eight years after all had been studied as infants. A second comparison group, matched on the same variables, consisted of children with no history of abuse and no history of accidents before the age of one year.Hypotheses were that the abused children would fall below the nonabused in health and physical development, intellectual functioning, language, and self-concept; and that the abused children would score higher in impulsivity and aggression.A sub-group of the major abuse group scored significantly lower in expressive language than either of its matched comparison groups, and the whole abuse group showed increased impulsivity and aggression in one test situation. Otherwise, none of the hypotheses was confirmed.Seventy percent of the entire sample had speech problems; over 50% showed some degree of disturbance; 39% were achieving poorly in school. However, these disabilities were distributed quite evenly among abuse, accident, and comparison children.The entire sample (largely lower-class children) appeared sad and fearful. Most 8- or 9-year-olds are concerned with witches, monsters that eat people up or set them afire, etc. These children, by contrast, linked their fears of destruction to real people, e.g. parents, teachers, and older children. Mothers' reports indicated that the families, whether abuse, accident or comparison, experienced constant violence, both environmental and personal.Various explanations were advanced for the absence of group differences and the prevalence of handicapping conditions. The most plausible was that the effects of lower class membership on child development are as potent as the effects of early physical abuse.     

Neglected and abused children of mentally retarded parents

Sixty-four neglected and abused children with a mentally retarded parent seen from one to seven years earlier, were followed to determine placement outcomes. At the time of follow-up, 11 of 64 children remained with their low functioning parents. Six children had been relinquished voluntarily for adoption and courts had terminated parental rights for 34, resulting in a total of 40 who had been adopted. Nine children were in foster care at the time of the study; two had been awarded to their nonretarded parent following divorce; and two had died. All families had received public financial assistance and medical care and used an average of 10 other services per family. Because of their cognitive limitations, most of these retarded parents were unable to benefit sufficiently from community services to enable them to care for their children. These findings point up the need for a mechanism whereby the retarded adult's right to parent and the child's right to nurturance and protection may both be preserved. Until this dilemma can be resolved, decisions to terminate parental rights in such cases should be made more quickly.     

Variations in early child care: Do they predict subsequent social, emotional, and cognitive differences?

A sample of 236 predominantly middle class 8-year-olds from a state with minimal child care standards were examined for possible differences associated with earlier child care histories. In comparison to children in part-time child care (less than 30 hours a week) or exclusive maternal care, children with more extensive child care experiences since infancy were rated by teachers and parents as having more poor peer relationships, work habits, and emotional health, and as being more difficult to discipline. In this minimal standard environment, extensive infant care was also associated with more negative nominations from classmates, poorer academic and conduct report card grades, and lower standardized test scores. In stepwise regressions that included family social class, parents' marital status, family size, number of family moves, child gender, childbirth order, and current after school care, children's extensive experience in infant care was the single best predictor (in a negative direction) of ratings by parents, teachers, and peers, and of report card grades and standardized test scores. Child care history continued to be a significant negative predictor of child outcomes in full regression models that incorporated child and family variables. These results are in marked contrast with Andersson's (1989) findings of positive social and cognitive development associated with early, extensive child care in Sweden (a country characterized by high child care standards and opportunities for paid parental leave during early infancy).     

Health status of abused and neglected children and their siblings

Fifty Greek children who had been neglected or physically abused by one or both parents were studied, along with their families. Of these 18 were single-child families. The other 32 children in the study, including two sets of twins, had a total of 53 siblings. In comparison with their siblings, the abused children were more frequently the result of an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy. They had a higher incidence of perinatal problems and more illnesses in the first year of life. Almost half had feeding problems, their nutritional status was often poorer than that of their siblings, and they were characterized by their parents as being more difficult than the other children. In some cases there was evidence of a lesser degree of neglect or abuse in the siblings. More than twice as many boys as girls were abused, although there were more girls than boys amongst the siblings. This possibly reflects the higher value and as a result higher expectations that Greek culture places on male children.     

The social and educational adjustment of abused children

Thirteen 6-year-old children who had been physically abused by their parents were assessed in school for language development, educational attainments and social adjustment, and compared with children from some of the same school classes who served as a comparison group. All the abused children had attended the Family Centre of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in Manchester before starting school, and they and their parents had received social work support and supervision from the special unit team. Ten of the 13 abused children had made measurable progress in reading. There were no significant differences between the groups in language development or number skills, but the abused group did contain more high (maladjusted) scores on the Bristol Social Adjustment Guide. Monitoring educational progress and social adjustment in school would seem to be a useful method of following the progress of such children. Most of the children in this group are so far making progress within the ordinary school system despite the disturbances which have affected their home life.     

Child peer sexual abuse: preliminary data on outcomes and disclosure experiences

OBJECTIVE: This study compared experiences of children sexually abused by peers to those of children abused by adolescents/adults. Variables examined included perceived negativity of the abuse, self-reported outcomes, overall psychological functioning, and disclosure. METHOD: An archival data set containing retrospective reports of childhood sexual experiences was culled for instances of sexual abuse by child peers and adolescents/adults. An equivalent nonabused comparison group was identified. The Self-Report Outcome Checklist (SROC; Gilbert, 1994b), the MMPI-Hugo Short Form (Hugo, 1971) and a disclosure survey were also retrieved from these data. RESULTS: Compared to abuse by peers, abuse perpetrated by adolescents/adults was more intrusive and intrafamilial. Both groups rated their experiences as equally negative, and reported equally pervasive outcomes. Those abused by adolescents/adults reported significantly higher scores on the Psychopathic Deviate, Psychasthenia, and Schizophrenia scales compared to nonabused controls; similar findings did not emerge for those abused by child peers. Less than a fourth in either abuse group reported disclosing their experience to a parent. Among those who did not disclose, participants abused by child peers anticipated less support from both parents and more anger from their mothers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that child peer sexual abuse may be associated with adverse outcomes.     

Causal attributions of teachers and parents regarding children's performance

Nine upper elementary teachers assigned equal numbers of children from their own classrooms to three performance categories: Low Performance, Moderate Performance and High Performance. A child's teacher and his or her parent (usually the mother) then completed structured and open-ended questions regarding the reasons why the child performed as he did. While teachers rated child's ability, own teaching, and mother, father and peer influence higher and other reasons (e.g., health, situational characteristics) lower for high performing than for low performing children on structured questions, parents of children in the different conditions did not differ significantly in their ratings on each factor. On both open-ended and structured questions, for all performance levels, teaching was rated as more important by parents than by teachers.     

Dissociation in maltreated versus nonmaltreated preschool-aged children.

OBJECTIVE: Dissociation is linked to the experience of child maltreatment for adults and for school-aged children. The goals of the current paper were: First, to extend existing research and examine the link between child maltreatment and preschool-aged children; and second, to examine which subgroups of maltreated preschoolers are most likely to evidence dissociation. METHOD: A well-validated measure of dissociation in children, The Child Dissociative Checklist (CDC; Putnam, Helmers, & Trickett, 1993), was utilized in a sample of low SES maltreated and nonmaltreated preschoolers (N = 198). A measure of internalizing and externalizing symptoms was also utilized. The maltreated children were assessed for sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, and also for severity, chronicity, and multiple subtypes of maltreatment. RESULTS: The sexually abused, physically abused, and neglected groups each demonstrated more dissociation than did the nonmaltreated group. Dissociation in the clinical (psychopathological) range was associated with physical abuse. Moreover, maltreatment severity, chronicity, multiple subtypes, and internalizing and externalizing symptomatology were each related to dissociation. CONCLUSIONS: Child maltreatment is a factor in dissociation in preschool-aged children as it is in older children and in adults. Sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, severity, and chronicity are all implicated. Developmentally sensitive interventions that look beyond comorbidity with behavioral symptoms for dissociative preschool-aged children are needed.     

Neurological impairment in maltreated children

The neurological competency of maltreated children was assessed by comparing physically abused children not known to have sustained serious head trauma, neglected children, and normally raised children from the same socioeconomic milieu. Each child underwent physical and neurological examinations including EEGs, supplemented by perceptual-motor tests devised to detect subtle evidence of neurological dysfunction. Obstetrical and developmental histories, as well as intelligence test protocols, were available. Blind ratings by a pediatric neurologist using all available information revealed significantly more impairment in the maltreated groups with more than 50% of the abused children in the moderate or severely impaired category. The complex relationship between the maltreating environment and neurological disorders in these populations is discussed including the need to routinely search for evidence of subtle neurological impairment when maltreatment is known or suspected.