Multidimensional Child Maltreatment and Adolescent Positive Functioning

Background and Purpose: Child maltreatment is an adverse childhood experience and a key risk factor for adolescent mental well-being and behavioral problems. While children can have varied maltreatment experiences, there is still a gap in the literature investigating how heterogeneous child maltreatment experiences are associated with adolescent psychological, and social functioning. Psychological and social functioning are critical and far-reaching processes that contribute to well-being among adolescents. This study used a large national longitudinal dataset to examine the relationship between child maltreatment experiences (physical abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect), with a focus on its frequency and chronicity, and its impact on adolescents' positive, psychological, and social functioning.

Methods: Secondary data analysis was conducted using the Future of Families and Child Well- being Study (FFCWS), a national, ongoing longitudinal study comprising a racially diverse sample. Data from 3,444 primary caregivers were analyzed. The FFCWS Survey used 15 of the 22 items on the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales (Straus et al., 1998). This study used items on child maltreatment types, frequency, and chronicity assessed from year 3, year 5, and year 9 to create six independent variables (i.e., frequency/chronicity of physical abuse, frequency/chronicity of psychological abuse, and frequency/chronicity of neglect). Ordinary square regression analysis using STATA 17.0 was performed to examine the relationship between heterogeneous child maltreatment experiences and adolescent positive functioning, controlling for child's gender, age, race/ethnicity, birth weight, relationship with a primary caregiver, primary caregivers’ age, education level, and household income.

Results: After controlling for covariates, only neglect chronicity had a statistically significant negative association with adolescents’ positive functioning (b=-0.642, p<.05). The other five dimensions of child maltreatment (i.e., physical abuse frequency, physical abuse chronicity, psychological abuse frequency, psychological abuse chronicity, and neglect frequency) showed no statistically significant association. Being male, older, and African American or Hispanic among adolescents were found to be positively associated with their positive functioning.

Conclusions and Implications: The study findings highlight that chronic neglect has a most far-reaching negative impact on adolescents’ psychosocial development. Adolescent functioning may be at increased risk when the basic needs are not met in childhood, including physical, emotional, medical, and educational need. Thus, it is crucial to prevent neglect to enhance adolescent psychological and social functioning among vulnerable families by supporting and strengthening those families.