Background: There is limited knowledge about how positive and negative parenting practices differ across individuals and change over time in parents with substantiated physical abuse history, and how trajectories of these parenting practices affect child adjustment. Objective: The present study examined latent trajectories of positive and negative…

This study sought to understand the pervasiveness and impact of physical, psychological, and sexual violence on the social adjustment of Grade 8 and 9 school children in the state of Tripura, India. The study participants, 160 boys and 160 girls, were randomly selected from classes in eight English and Bengali medium schools in Agartala city,…

This study examined relations among social information-processing (SIP) variables in the domains of peer provocation and peer group entry. Using Crick and Dodge's [Crick, N. R., & Dodge, K. A. (1994). "A review and reformulation of social information-processing mechanisms in children's social adjustment." "Psychological Bulletin," 115, 74-101]…

Objective: Cluster analysis was used to enhance understanding of heterogeneity in social adjustment of physically abused children. Method: Ninety-eight physically abused children (ages 5-10) were clustered on the basis of social adjustment, as measured by observed behavior with peers on the school playground and by teacher reports of social…

A number of studies have found evidence suggesting that being a witness to violence puts a child at risk of developing social and psychological problems. However, most of these studies used populations of severely battered women and did not control for confounding with other family characteristics. This study analyzed male and female responses…

Objective: Although social maladjustment appears to be common among abused children, negative outcomes are not inevitable. This investigation was designed to determine whether ethnicity and features of the parenting context predicted children's social adjustment, and whether the strength and direction of these relations differed for abused and…

A study of 124 maltreated children (ages 5-10) examined the way in which they processed social information 12 months following entrance into foster care. Measures reflecting unbiased and competent processing were predictive of social adaptation, whereas measures reflecting biased and incompetent processing were predictive of behavior problems.…

Tested 2 models of the effect of social cognition on the link between child adjustment and the 2 family risk factors of maltreatment and parental psychopathology. In 83 subjects of 7-14 years, maltreatment predicted aggression and peer rejection, but parental psychopathology did not. Adjustment of subjects with a disturbed parent depended on…

This study investigated behavior problems in 66 school-aged physically abused, neglected, and control group children in the Basque Country, Spain. Abused and neglected children had higher subscale scores for social problems, delinquent behavior, and attention problems and showed lower school adjustment. Neglected children appeared more aggressive,…

Psychosocial characteristics of child maltreatment cases labelled as "not serious enough" were studied with 48 cases of suspected physical abuse, 13 of neglect, and 8 of psychological maltreatment identified by teachers, and a nonabused comparison group (n=283). Results indicated poor personal and social adjustment of the children in the…

This study compared adolescent child molesters (n=31) with non-sex-offending delinquents (n=34) and normal adolescents. Molesters showed significantly more global maladjustment than normals and were more socially anxious and threatened by heterosocial interactions than non-sex-offending delinquents. Results support the hypothesis that social skill…

This study examined perceptions of child abuse (psychological, physical, and sexual) and later adult psychological and social adjustment in a nonclinical sample of 173 individuals. Forty-seven subjects reported significant levels of abuse but failed to acknowledge themselves as abused. Abused individuals (both Acknowledgers and Minimizers) had…

Using a prospective design spanning 17 years, the authors studied in a sample of 231 boys and girls the predictive links of verbal abuse by the teacher during childhood to high-school graduation and behavioral and emotional problems in young adulthood, as well as the putative mediating role of individuals' generalized and domain-specific…

An eighteen-year longitudinal study of 1,265 New Zealand children examined the relationship between retrospective reports of physical punishment/maltreatment and rates of adjustment difficulties at age 18. Results found the children exposed to harsh or abusive treatment were at-risk for juvenile offending, substance abuse, and mental health…

Used longitudinal design to assess risks associated with maltreatment in maltreated and nonmaltreated children. Found that heightened difficulties in peer relationships and self-esteem were associated with greater severity and chronicity of maltreatment. The best predictions of specific aspects of adjustment considered timing, type, and severity…