A forty year perspective on effects of child abuse and neglect

Case records written between 1939 and 1945 were used to divide 232 males among four categories, according to how they had been treated as children: "Neglected," "Abused," "Rejected," or "Loved." The groups were similar in terms of poverty and proportions from broken homes. The abused and the rejected were more likely to have been reared by aggressive parents. In addition, the abused were most likely to have also been exposed to high demands for adult behaviors and dominant fathers. The rejected were most likely to have experienced parental conflict and paternal alcoholism or criminality. And the loved were most likely to have been raised by self-confident mothers. Between 1975 and 1979, 98% of the men were retraced. Records for juvenile delinquency showed higher rates among the abused, neglected, and rejected boys than among those raised by loving parents. Rates of alcoholism, divorce, and occupational success were similar among the four groups. Approximately half the abused or neglected boys had been convicted for serious crimes, become alcoholics or mentally ill, or died when unusually young. Although paternal alcoholism and criminality were not related to the occurrence of child abuse, they were related to damage from such abuse. Maternal self-confidence and education appeared to decrease vulnerability to the adverse impact of child abuse.