Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

Purpose: There is evidence that childhood adversity, including direct abuse by an adult caregiver, neglect, and exposure to domestic violence increase risk for a host of negative youth outcomes, including conduct problems and depression. However, studies often have relied on cross-sectional designs and retrospective measures of childhood risk factors to capture early adversity. In addition, researchers have tended to examine a single risk factor (e.g., childhood exposure to domestic violence) in isolation from others (e.g., physical child abuse and/or neglect), potentially exaggerating the importance of that variable in the etiology of youth problems. Moreover, research on the effects of child maltreatment rarely accounts for other known risk factors within and outside the home. Research is needed to examine overlap in various forms of child maltreatment and other stressors in the prediction of youth outcomes.

Methods: Data for this research are from the Lehigh Longitudinal Study, one of the very few prospective longitudinal studies on the topics of child maltreatment and resilience among child victims. The study spans a 15-year period and includes self-reports from parents of their disciplining, case record and observational data, and youth reports of various forms of abuse and conflict within the home. Data were collected at three key developmental points for children (preschool/ early childhood, middle childhood/ school-age, and adolescence). The sample includes 457 children and their families, drawn from child welfare agencies and other community settings in a two county area of eastern Pennsylvania.

Results: Findings show a strong association between child maltreatment (physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic violence) and stressors (family conflict, personal problems of parents, and external constraints on the family). After controlling for stressors, family socio-economic status, and child gender, a general construct of child maltreatment was predictive of internalizing and externalizing behaviors in adolescents. Specific effects of child physical and sexual abuse were revealed in these longitudinal structural equation model tests.

Implications: Findings presented here are relevant to theories of the etiology of youth problems and prevention, implications for which will be discussed. These include the need to increase awareness of the co-occurrence of various forms of maltreatment and the enduring effects on child health and behavior. Findings support an approach to prevention that addresses child maltreatment in the context of other risk factors experienced by vulnerable children and families.