A Follow-Up Study of Abused Children

The self-image of physically abused adolescents

“…Reported difficulties w~ith peer relationships were less salient, however, and did not differ from the normative sample. This is in contrast to previous studies (Berkeley Planning Associates, 1978;Kent, 1976;Kinard, 1978;Martin, 1976) that reported the peer relationship of abused children to be poor. One possible explanation of the differences is that these four studies examined only children under 13 years, while the present study focuses on adolescents over 12 years of age.…”

Developmental perspectives on the etiology, intergenerational transmission, and sequelae of child maltreatment

“…Although the seriousness of the immediate problems that result from child maltreatment is clear (see, for example, Kempe and Kempe, 1978;Martin, 1976), only a very few studies have attempted to look at the long-range consequences of chid abuse and neglect (see, for example, Egeland and Sroufe, this volume;Elmer, 1977;Herrenkohl and Herrenkohl, this volume;Kent, 1976;Martin and Beezeley, 1977;Terr, 1970). Despite the varying degree of substantive evidence, existing data converge on the fact that maltreated children are adversely affected in a multitude of ways.…”

“…We have almost no information concerning the transmission processes by which child maltreatment is passed from one generation to the next, nor do we understand much about the mechanisms that lead to a break in the transmission pattern Cicchetti and Rdey, 1978;Hunter and Kilstrom, 1979). Moreover, one of the most basic issues, documenting the impact that maltreatment has upon the cognitive, socio-emotional, and linguistic development of the child, has only begun to be studied systematically (Elmer, 1977;Kent, 1976;Martin, 1976). Almost no attention has been directed towards the sequelae of maltreatment in terms of its effects upon the socioemotional competence of the child, although its significance in terms of later adaptation is unquestionable (Cicchetti and Sroufe, 1978;Egeland and Sroufe, this volume;Gaensbauer and Sands, 1979;George and Main, 1979;Gordon and Jameson, 1979;K i n d , 1980;Martin, 1976;Reidy, 1977;Sroufe, 1979aSroufe, , 1979b.…”

Psycho‐educational profile of emotionally disturbed abused children

“…Separating from parental substitutes adds to the child's psychic trauma. This has been confirmed by Kent (1976) who found that abused children improved markedly in school achievement when placed in stable, permanent foster care situations. The important factor seems to be complete removal from environments where the main characters are abusive.…”

“…They are described as defenses which the child has developed in order to survive in an abusive environment (Martin & Rodeheffer, 1976;and Young, 1964). Kent, (1976) and Green, (1974) reported that abused children have greater difficulties in school and that their behavior is often characterized by their noncompetitiveness, docility, compliance, anxiety, and somberness. In school, the abused child's fears and fantasy life preempts the ability to attend to academics for any length of time.…”