Child maltreatment among boy and girl probationers: Does type of maltreatment make a difference in offending behavior and psychosocial problems?

Abstract

This study examined differences in offending behavior and psychosocial problems between juvenile offenders who have been sexually abused (n=231), physically abused (n=1,568), neglected (n=1,555), exposed to multiple forms of maltreatment (n=1,767), and non-victims (n=8,492). In addition, the moderating effect of gender in the association between type of maltreatment and offending behavior/psychosocial problems was examined. Results showed that violent offenses were more common in victims of physical abuse and victims of multiple forms of abuse than in non-victims, both in boys and girls. In boys, sexual offenses were far more common in victims of sexual abuse than in victims of other or multiple forms of maltreatment or in non-victims. In girls, no group differences were found in sexual offending behavior. For both boys and girls, externalizing problems were relatively common in victims of physical abuse and neglect whereas internalizing problems were relatively common in victims of sexual abuse. In victims of multiple forms of maltreatment, both internalizing and externalizing problems were relatively common. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

How might neighborhood built environment influence child maltreatment? Caregiver perceptions

“…Department of Health, 2017). Research has linked maltreatment to interruptions in children’s brain maturation (Hanson et al, 2010), lower cognitive functioning (Fishbein et al, 2009), higher levels of behavior problems (Bolger & Patterson, 2001; van der Put et al, 2015), social difficulties (Alink, Cicchetti, Kim, & Rogosch, 2012), and more short- and long-term physical health ailments compared to nonmaltreated children (Norman et al, 2012). Societally, the total lifetime economic burden associated with child maltreatment is estimated at $124 billion, comprising costs associated with medical care, special education, child welfare, productivity losses, and criminal justice (Fang et al, 2012).…”

Infant temperament and behavioral problems: analysis of high-risk infants in child welfare

“…Several demographic and contextual variables have been shown to be related to behavioral problems, including poverty and maternal education (Côté et al, 2006; Huijbregts et al, 2007; Korja et al, 2008; Tremblay et al, 2004), sex (Ford, Goodman, & Meltzer, 2003; Grant, & Weissman, 2007; Marikangas et al, 2010; Shear, Halmi, Widiger, & Boyce, 2007; van der Sluis et al, 2016), race/ethnicity (Anton, Jones, & Youngstrom, 2015), child placement in-home or out-of-home (Villodas, Litrownik, Newton, & Davis, 2016); low, medium, and high scores on the Bayley Infant Neurodevelopmental Screener (Dekker, & Koot, 2003; Emerson, & Einfeld, 2010; Emerson & Hatton, 2007), and type of child’s exposure to family violence. This could include child physical or sexual abuse, child neglect, domestic violence, parental substance abuse, and others (van der Put, Lanctôt, de Ruiter, van Vugt, 2015). These variables were included in the model as covariates.…”

Social–ecological predictors of externalizing behavior trajectories in at-risk youth

“…The family environment is central to early development and continues to shape regulatory and coping processes during childhood and adolescence (Kobak, Ferenz-Gillies, Everhart, & Seabrook, 1994; Morris, Silk, Steinberg, Myers, & Robinson, 2007). Maltreatment from caregivers is a consistent and robust risk factor for later aggression (van der Put, Lanctôt, De Ruiter, & Van Vugt, 2015) and socioemotional difficulties (Widom, 2014). Early maltreatment, in particular, is found to predict children's externalizing behavior over time (Font & Berger, 2015).…”