Race,ethnicity, and child maltreatment: An empirical analysis

Using central registry data for Texas for 1975–1977 of validated cases of abuse and of neglect, a study was conducted to investigate empirically the relationship of child maltreatment to ethnicity, addressing methodological issues that merit consideration in such studies.The ethnic composition of the at-risk population was 61% Anglos, 15% Blacks, and 24% Mexican-Americans. The annual rates for all abuse and neglect were 2.87, 3.17, and 3.94 per 1,000 under 18 population for Anglos, Mexican-Americans, and Blacks, respectively. Abuse was more predominant among Anglos, accounting for 33.5% of the validated cases of maltreatment, than among Mexican-Americans and Blacks, accounting for 25.2% and 29.4% of the maltreatment, respectively. Neglect was the major dynamic of maltreatment for Mexican-Americans and Blacks, accounting for 65.6% and 61.2% of the maltreatment, respectively, with Anglos having 55.4% of the maltreatment due to neglect. These relationships were not altered when rural-urban differences were taken into consideration.     

Families at risk of child maltreatment: entry-level characteristics and growth in family functioning during treatment.

Research suggests that perinatal screening and early intervention may reduce the incidence of maltreatment and improve the parenting in at-risk families. The question of whether families with different sets of entry-level characteristics differ in the way that they respond to intervention is asked in this paper. We investigated whether entry-level family functioning and family problems had an impact on length of time in treatment and the improvement or deterioration of family functioning over time. In our analyses, we used entry-level characteristics to classify families into five homogeneous groups--situationally stressed, chronically stressed, emotionally stressed, multirisk, and violent multirisk--and we found that treatment duration and rate of change in family functioning over time differed in clinically important ways across these groups. Our findings suggest that treatment is likely to be successful in stabilizing and slowly improving the family functioning of the majority of families at risk of child maltreatment.     

Interactions between child behavior patterns and parent supervision: implications for children's risk of unintentional injury

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for children. Prior research has implicated both child behavioral attributes and parent supervisory patterns as risk factors. The present study assessed interactions between these two risk factors and determined whether supervision moderates the relation between child attributes and injury. Mothers completed questionnaire measures of child attributes and supervisory patterns and also recorded how they supervised their young child (2–5 years) at home on each of 10 randomly selected days within a 3-week period. Results provide support for the moderating effect of supervision: Supervision interacted with some child attributes to elevate children's risk of medically attended injury and with other attributes to decrease injury risk. Implications for preventing childhood injuries are discussed.     

Understanding child directed caregiver aggression: An examination of characteristics and predictors associated with perpetration

Child physical abuse presents a substantial public health concern with lasting negative consequences for victims. Understanding the variables associated with perpetration can help inform prevention and intervention efforts. The current study examined background and clinical variables in a sample of 195 help-seeking caregivers who were at risk for or had been identified as having engaged in child directed aggression or abuse. We found that caregivers who did (vs. did not) report severe child directed aggression had poorer parenting and reported more drug use. Having a recent allegation of child physical abuse (vs. no allegation) based on official child welfare records was unrelated to parenting, drug and alcohol use, negative affect, parenting stress, or neglect. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the influence of parenting stress on child directed aggression and its effects through negative affect and positive parenting. We found that parenting stress predicted higher negative affect, which was related to greater child directed aggression. Additionally, parenting stress predicted lower positive parenting, which in turn predicted lower child directed aggression. A model including drug and alcohol use did not add to the prediction of child directed aggression. Prediction of neglect using similar variables found that only positive parenting was of import and that parenting stress and negative affect did not contribute to neglect. Implications for future prevention and treatment development efforts with abusive/aggressive caregivers are discussed.     

Links between preschool children's prosocial skills and aggressive conduct problems: The contribution of ADHD symptoms

The aim was to examine the relationship between prosocial behavior and conduct problems, especially aggression, in early childhood. In Phase 1 of the study, teachers reported on 93 3–5-year-old children's prosocial behavior and psychological problems, using a screening instrument, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). In Phase 2, 65 parents completed the SDQ and were interviewed in depth, using a clinical interview, the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment (PAPA). Children with clinically significant symptoms of conduct disorder and ADHD were significantly less prosocial than other children. However, aggressive conduct symptoms were unrelated to prosocial behavior, once symptoms of ADHD were taken into account. The findings suggest that problems in regulating activity and attention interfere with prosocial development.     

The premise,promise and disillusion of the ADHD categorisation – family narrative about the child’s broken school trajectory

ABSTRACT

This study presents co-narrated school experiences of a young Finnish girl diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and those of her parents. The discourse analysis of the family interview focused on the discrepant ways family members gave meanings to and mobilised the ADHD categorisation while narrating their broken school trajectory. The results showed that the ADHD diagnosis was laden with the promise of the whole family being recognised differently by the school. However, this cultural promise proved disillusioning as daughter’s support needs and parents’ expertise were not recognised nor did the diagnostic category emancipate from stigmatising identities and blame. Interestingly, the parents leaned more on the diagnostic categorisation while accounting for the disillusion of these promises, whereas the daughter aimed at distancing herself from the ADHD category and behaviour characteristics related to it. The discussion concludes by comparing the viewpoints of cure and care when catering to children’s needs.     

Influences on the congruence between parents’ and teachers’ ratings of young children's social skills and problem behaviors

A comprehensive research base exists concerning the congruence between parents’ and teachers’ ratings of the behavior of typically developing young children. However, little research has been conducted regarding the degree to which parents’ and teachers’ behavioral ratings of young children with disabilities are congruent. Additionally, previous research has not always correctly proportioned the variance to that between and within classrooms. The purpose of this study was to examine congruence (using hierarchical linear modeling) at the classroom level, rather than the individual student-level, between parents’ and teachers’ ratings of young children's social skills and problem behaviors. We also examined the potential impact of selected family and child demographic variables, including disability, on this congruence. Consistent with other researchers, we found moderate levels of congruence for children's social skills (as framed by strengths-based statements) and low levels of congruence for problem behaviors (as described using deficit-based terminology). Parents’ and teachers’ congruence was higher when rating the social skills of young children with disabilities as compared to young children without disabilities.     

Re-referral to child protective services: the influence of child, family, and case characteristics on risk status

INTRODUCTION: This study examines child, family, and case characteristics that impact rates of re-referral to Child Protective Services (CPS) using data on all closed CPS investigations for the state of Rhode Island between 2001 and 2004. METHOD: A longitudinal dataset of all referrals to CPS was created using state submissions to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). After excluding children whose initial CPS investigation resulted in removal from the home, a Cox proportional hazards model was tested to examine factors impacting the likelihood of re-referral. RESULTS: Consistent with other research in this area, the initial 6-month period following case disposition is the period of greatest risk of re-referral. Approximately 13% of cases experienced a recurrent allegation during the first 6-month period; an additional 14% experienced a re-referral over the following 12-month period; 7% during the next 12-month period. Family poverty was the strongest predictor of re-referral, though a number of child and case characteristics were significantly related to recurrence. Cases that were substantiated at index were significantly less likely to result in a new allegation, though substantiated cases of physical abuse or those receiving post-investigation services were at higher risk. CONCLUSIONS: Children from families facing multiple stressors (e.g., low SES, parental substance abuse child disability) are at highest risk of re-referral to CPS and may benefit from the development of preventive services targeted immediately following case closings within CPS.     

Predictors of psychological distress and positive resources among Palestinian adolescents: trauma, child, and mothering characteristics

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to examine how traumatic and stressful events, responses to violence, child characteristics, and mothering quality, as measured in middle childhood predict psychological distress and positive resources in adolescence. METHOD: The participants were 65 Palestinian adolescents (17+/-.85 years; 52% girls), who had been studied during the First Intifada (T1), during the Palestinian Authority rule (T2) and before the Second Al Aqsa Intifada (T3) in Gaza. Psychological distress was indicated by PTSD, and depressive symptoms and positive resources by resilient attitudes and satisfaction with quality of life, all measured at T3. The predictors that were measured at T1 were exposure to military violence, active coping with violence and children's intelligence, cognitive capacity, and neuroticism. Mothering quality and stressful life-events were measured at T2, the former reported by both the mother and the child, and the latter by the mother. RESULTS: Adolescents' PTSD symptoms were most likely if they had been exposed to high levels of traumatic and stressful experiences and had poor cognitive capacity and high neuroticism in middle childhood. Only high levels of childhood military violence and stressful life-events predicted high depressive symptoms and low satisfaction with quality of life in adolescence. CONCLUSIONS: Military violence in childhood forms risks for both increased psychological distress and decreased positive resources. However, child characteristics such as cognitive capacity and personality are important determinants of psychological vulnerability in military trauma.     

Aggressive behavior of children exposed to intimate partner violence: An examination of maternal mental health,maternal warmth and child maltreatment

Objectives

Over 4.5 million children each year are exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV). Furthermore, IPV rarely occurs without other forms of violence and aggression in the home. IPV is associated with mental health and parenting problems in mothers, and children experience a wide variety of short-term social adjustment and emotional difficulties, including behavioral problems. The current study investigated the influence of IPV exposure on children's aggressive behavior, and tested if this relation was mediated by poor maternal mental health, and, in turn, by maternal warmth and child maltreatment, and moderated by children's age and gender. Study findings highlight the indirect consequences of IPV in the home on children's aggressive behavior.

Methods

Secondary data analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted with the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW). Children were between the ages of 3–8 (n = 1,161). Mothers reported past year frequency of phsycial assualt by their partner, frequency of child psychological and physical abuse, maternal mental health, and children's aggressive behavior problems. Maternal warmth was measured by observation.

Results

IPV was significantly related to poor maternal mental health. Poor maternal mental health was associated with more child aggressive behavior, lower maternal warmth, and more frequent child physical and psychological abuse. Psychological abuse and low maternal warmth were directly related to more aggressive behavior while IPV exposure and physical abuse were not directly associated with aggressive behavior. Neither age nor gender moderated the modeled paths.

Conclusions

Expanding knowledge about child outcomes is especially critical for children who were involved in investigations of child maltreatment by child protective services (CPS) in order to identify relevant risk factors that can lead to interventions. The results identified maternal mental health as an important variable in mediating the relationship between IPV exposure and aggressive behavior. One implication is for multicomponent family interventions that could be tailored toward helping the mother cope with such mental health issues while also addressing deficits in children's social behavior development.     

Making sense of children's sexual behavior in child care: An analysis of adult responses in special investigation reports

This paper investigates how adults respond to sexual behavior among children in child care. Culturally, childhood sexuality is variously understood as natural curiosity, a sign of sexual abuse, or a symptom of a sex-offender in the making. Given these competing cultural meanings, how are sexual-like behaviors by children managed by the adults who care for them? An analysis of qualitative data from Special Investigation Reports by childcare licensing consultants in the state of Michigan is used to examine how parents, child care providers, and child care licensing consultants manage and respond to sexual behavior between children in the context of child care. How sexual behavior is responded to depends primarily on who is doing the responding – parent, childcare provider, or state licensing consultant – rather than what type of behavior is being responded to. Parents respond to a wide range of behaviors between children as if they are incidents of sexual abuse. Childcare providers respond to many of those same incidents as misbehavior. Licensing consultants understand these incidents as violation of rules of supervision, but they were also the only group to ever ask if children's sexual behavior was potentially a sign of a child having been sexually abused in another setting. Providers and parents need more education about what kinds of sexual behavior to be concerned about and what kind to understand as common. More education that sexuality that is “rare” and persistent could be a sign of sexual abuse is needed by all parties.     

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,behavioural and emotional problems in children excluded from mainstream education: a preliminary study of teachers' ratings

The aim of this study was to measure the rates of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and behavioural and emotional problems in children attending Behavioural Support Units (BSUs), as rated by teachers. Children (N=45) were selected from two Behavioural Support Units (primary and secondary education). Teachers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the ADHD Rating Scale. The levels of hyperactivity and emotional problems were high among primary school age children. Children attending primary school age BSUs had significantly higher hyperactivity and emotional scores than their older counterparts. The findings are discussed in relation to the literature on ADHD and other mental health problems in children. The implications for the provision of services for children excluded from mainstream education are also discussed.     

Cross‐informant agreement of children's social‐emotional skills: An investigation of ratings by teachers,parents, and students from a nationally representative sample

This study examines the agreement across informant pairs of teachers, parents, and students regarding the students’ social‐emotional learning (SEL) competencies. Two student subsamples representative of the social skills improvement system (SSIS) SEL edition rating forms national standardization sample were examined: first, 168 students (3rd to 12th grades) with ratings by three informants (a teacher, a parent, and the student him/herself) and a second group of 164 students who had ratings by two raters in a similar role—two parents or two teachers. To assess interrater agreements, two methods were employed: calculation of q correlations among pairs of raters and effect size indices to capture the extant rater pairs differed in their assessments of social‐emotional skills. The empirical results indicated that pairs of different types of informants exhibited greater than chance levels of agreement as indexed by significant interrater correlations; teacher–parent informants showed higher correlations than teacher–student or parent–student pairs across all SEL competency domains assessed, and pairs of similar informants exhibited significantly higher correlations than pairs of dissimilar informants. Study limitations are identified and future research needs outlined.     

Effects of early and later family violence on children's behavior problems and depression: a longitudinal, multi-informant perspective

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of different forms of family violence at two developmental stages by assessing a sample of 110 Israeli children, drawn from the case files of Israeli family service agencies, studied longitudinally in both middle childhood and adolescence. METHODS: Information about the children's adjustment was obtained from parents, teachers, and the children themselves when the children averaged 10.6 and 15.9 years of age using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Teacher Report Form (TRF), Youth Self-Report (YSR), and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Information about the history of family violence was obtained from the mothers, fathers, children, and social workers. RESULTS: The results paint a mixed picture of the effects of family violence on children and adolescents. The relationship between concurrent behavior problems and abuse group varied by informant and study phase, although they were strongest when children were the informants. Predictions regarding the relationship between early abuse and later adjustment were only partially confirmed. Different informants did not agree about which groups of children were most adversely affected, there was little stability over time in the pattern of reported effects, and children were more likely than other informants to report levels of maladjustment that varied depending on recent or concurrent exposure to family violence. Many families changed their abuse status over time, and children who were new victims at follow-up had the most internalizing problems. Girls were found to be at more risk for internalizing and externalizing behavior problems than boys. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple informants are necessary to evaluate and assess the effects of family violence on children's behavior. Younger children may be more susceptible to the effects of family violence than older children, but problems manifest by some children may not carry over to adolescence. Changes in family and parenting practices, as well as in children's capacity to appraise and cope with family violence may help mitigate the adverse effects of family violence.     

Early growth trajectories of children's approaches to learning: The contribution of parent and family characteristics

Children's approaches to learning (AtL) has been identified in research and policy as a key domain of children's school readiness. However, relatively little is known about the child and family factors that shape early AtL, how it varies in the general population, or how it develops and changes through the early years of schooling. This exploratory study examined the growth of children's AtL over six occasions spanning kindergarten through second grade in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey (ECLS‐K) class of 2010–2011 as predicted by parenting and family characteristics. Latent classes of AtL growth were identified through growth mixture modeling and regressed onto explanatory covariates to uncover patterns and sources of variation in children's AtL. Results revealed higher and lower AtL growth classes significantly associated with demographic and parenting variables measured in kindergarten. In particular, sex (male) and poverty were associated with lower AtL trajectories, whereas the presence of both biological parents in the household and parent involvement at school and at home predicted membership in the higher AtL group. Implications of these findings for further clarification and exploration of AtL as a construct are discussed.     

Political violence and child adjustment: longitudinal tests of sectarian antisocial behavior, family conflict, and insecurity as explanatory pathways

Understanding the impact of political violence on child maladjustment is a matter of international concern. Recent research has advanced a social ecological explanation for relations between political violence and child adjustment. However, conclusions are qualified by the lack of longitudinal tests. Toward examining pathways longitudinally, mothers and their adolescents (M = 12.33, SD = 1.78, at Time 1) from 2-parent families in Catholic and Protestant working class neighborhoods in Belfast, Northern Ireland, completed measures assessing multiple levels of a social ecological model. Utilizing autoregressive controls, a 3-wave longitudinal model test (T1, n = 299; T2, n = 248; T3, n = 197) supported a specific pathway linking sectarian community violence, family conflict, children's insecurity about family relationships, and adjustment problems.     

Child level correlates of teacher–student relationships: An examination of demographic characteristics,academic orientations,and behavioral orientations

The purpose of this investigation was to examine associations between different child characteristics and conflict, closeness, and dependency within teacher–student relationships. The participants were primarily students of color from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds in a large urban school district. The strength of associations between student demographic variables, academic orientations, behavioral orientations, and aspects of teacher–student relationships was examined. Findings indicated that these variables accounted for a significant amount of variance in teacher ratings of conflict and dependency in teacher–student relationships. Externalizing and internalizing symptomology demonstrated the strongest associations with the conflict and dependency relationship constructs. Preliminary implications of these findings for teachers and school psychologists are explored. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 751–762, 2004.     

Ready or not: Associations between participation in subsidized child care arrangements,pre-kindergarten,and Head Start and children's school readiness

Research has found disparities in young children's development across income groups. A positive association between high-quality early care and education and the school readiness of children in low-income families has also been demonstrated. This study uses linked administrative data from Maryland to examine the variations in school readiness associated with different types of subsidized child care, and with dual enrollment in subsidized child care and state pre-kindergarten or Head Start. Using multivariate methods, we analyze linked subsidy administrative data and portfolio-based kindergarten school readiness assessment data to estimate the probability of children's school readiness in three domains: personal and social development, language and literacy, and mathematical thinking. Compared to children in subsidized family child care or informal care, those in subsidized center care are more likely to be rated as fully ready to learn on the two pre-academic domains. Regardless of type of subsidized care used, enrollment in pre-kindergarten, but not Head Start, during the year prior to kindergarten is strongly associated with being academically ready for kindergarten. No statistically significant associations are found between type of subsidized care, pre-kindergarten enrollment, or Head Start and assessments of children's personal/social development.     

National Profiles of classroom quality and family involvement: A multilevel examination of proximal influences on Head Start children's school readiness

Guided by a developmental and ecological model, the study employed latent profile analysis to identify a multilevel typology of family involvement and Head Start classroom quality. Using the nationally representative Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 1997; N = 1870), six multilevel latent profiles were estimated, characterized by distinct patterns of parent school involvement, parent home involvement, and classroom quality. The most prevalent profile (47.5% of children within the national sample) reflected low levels of parent home and school involvement practices, but above average classroom quality. Significant differences were found among the six profiles on (a) child, family, classroom, and program demographic characteristics, and (b) children's literacy, language, mathematics, and social skills at the end of children's first Head Start year. The strongest positive associations between profile membership and child outcomes were seen for children in profiles characterized by high levels of parent involvement and above-average levels of Head Start classroom quality, although there were several nuanced distinctions that emerged. Children within the profile characterized by low parent involvement and low classroom quality exhibited lower academic and social outcomes relative to children in higher quality profiles. Implications for early childhood practice, policy, and research are discussed.     

The protective role of mentalizing: Reflective functioning as a mediator between child maltreatment,psychopathology and parental attitude in expecting parents

BackgroundChildhood maltreatment impacts parenting and has intergenerational consequences. It is therefore crucial to identify clinically responsive resilience-promoting factors in pregnant women and expecting men with history of childhood maltreatment. Mentalization, or reflective functioning, appears as a promising concept to understand risk and resilience in the face of childhood maltreatment.ObjectiveThis study evaluated the multivariate relationship between exposure to childhood maltreatment, reflective functioning, psychological symptoms and parental attitude in expecting parents.MethodsTwo hundred and thirty-five pregnant women and 66 expecting fathers completed self-report assessment measures of childhood trauma, reflective functioning, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, parental sense of competence and antenatal attachment. Twenty-eight percent (n = 85) of the community sample reported personal histories of childhood maltreatment.ResultsStructural equation modeling indicated that reflective functioning (a) partially mediated the association between childhood maltreatment and psychological symptoms during pregnancy and (b) independently predicted participants’ perception of parental competence and psychological investment toward the unborn child.ConclusionOverall, this study provides empirical evidence of the protective role of reflective functioning during the prenatal period in parents with histories of childhood maltreatment.