Developmental Pathways from Child Maltreatment to Peer Rejection

Abstract

Using a prospective longitudinal design, rejection by peers, aggressive behavior, and social withdrawal were examined among a representative community sample of 107 maltreated children and an equal number of non-maltreated children. Results revealed that chronic maltreatment was associated with heightened risk of rejection by peers. Chronically maltreated children were more likely to be rejected by peers repeatedly across multiple years from childhood to early adolescence. Maltreatment chronicity was also associated with higher levels of children's aggressive behavior, as reported by peers, teachers, and children themselves. Aggressive behavior accounted in large part for the association between chronic maltreatment and rejection by peers. Socially withdrawn behavior was associated with peer rejection, but did not account for the association between chronic maltreatment and peer rejection. These results held for both girls and boys, followed from childhood through early adolescence. Moreover, the links among chronic maltreatment, aggressive behavior, and peer rejection were already established by early school age. Implications of these results for developmental theory and intervention are discussed.

Child maltreatment, attention networks, and potential precursors to borderline personality disorder

“…Adequate reliability has been obtained (weighted κs = .86-.98; Manly et al, 2001). Other investigators have demonstrated that the MCS is reliable and valid in classifying maltreatment (Bolger & Patterson, 2001;Bolger et al, 1998;English et al, 2005;Manly et al, 1994Manly et al, , 2001Smith & Thornberry, 1995;Stouthamer-Loeber, Loeber, Homish, & Wei, 2001). …”

The Effects of Childhood Maltreatment on Adult Religiosity and Spirituality: Rejecting God the Father Because of Abusive Fathers?

“…3. Combination of these measures may raise some concern that different forms of abuse are being confounded, but factor analyses of different types of child abuse by Bolger and Patterson (2001) found that physical and emotional abuse load on the same factor. Brezina (1998) also found similar results in a factor analysis of measures of physical and emotional maltreatment experienced in adolescence.…”

Attachment Representations of Korean-Immigrant Mothers in America

“…Specifically, two mothers gave accounts of experiencing symptoms of depression and epilepsy, which are symptoms of psychological disorders. These results seem to support that unjustified parenting behaviors such as physical child abuse have the most damaging influences (Bolgar & Patterson, 2001) and, at the same time, have consequences in the child showing symptoms of stress-related psychological disorders (Briere, 1992). As have stated, such unjust rearing experiences may lead the internal working model of insecurely attached participants formed during infancy to a more preoccupied manner that continues throughout their adulthood.…”