NCJ Number
241382
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 36 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2012 Pages: 633-644
Date Published
September 2012
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study had two primary objectives: to assess the effect of maltreatment subtypes on functioning in preadolescents and to examine different approaches to analyzing multiple maltreatment subtypes.
Abstract
Findings from the study to assess the effect of maltreatment subtypes on functioning in preadolescents include the following: maltreated children who experienced physical or sexual abuse were at highest risk for caregiver-reported externalizing behavior problems; maltreated children who experienced physical abuse and/or physical neglect were more likely to have higher levels of caregiver-reported internalizing problems; and children who experienced predominantly low severity supervisory neglect had relatively better functioning than other maltreated youth. The study had two primary objectives: to assess the effect of maltreatment subtypes on functioning in preadolescents and to examine different approaches to analyzing multiple maltreatment subtypes. Data for the study were obtained from a sample of 334 preadolescent youth (ages 9-11) who were placed in out-of-home care due to maltreatment. The different types of maltreatment experienced by the children (physical abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, and supervisory neglect) were obtained from child welfare records. Various analytical approaches were used to evaluate the relationship between maltreatment subtypes and the children's cognitive, academic, and mental health functioning. The findings from the analyses suggest that children's functioning varies by the different types of maltreatment that they have experienced. In addition, the findings suggest that the effects of supervisory neglect on adolescents should be assessed separately from those of physical neglect. Implications for policy and planning are discussed. Tables and references