Vulnerability and protective factors for child abuse and maltreatment.

Abstract

Child abuse occurs across cultures and societies, remaining a critically important public health and policy issue due to its myriad detrimental outcomes. A substantial body of research now focuses on identifying vulnerability and protective factors that moderate children's risk of abuse in the hopes of being able to understand the mechanisms underlying why and how abuse occurs and to prevent it from happening in the future. Although a comprehensive review of all possible vulnerability and protective factors of child abuse is beyond the scope of this chapter, we describe key findings from the empirical literature organized around three major sections: (a) individual (e.g., gender, gender identity/orientation, age, disability status), (b) parental and familial context (e.g., parental abuse history, parenting practices, substance abuse, co-occurring intimate partner violence [IPV], family composition), and (c) environment and social network factors (e.g., poverty, neighborhood structure, community social support, religion, cultural identity). To understand vulnerability and resilience, we draw on studies that have used diverse sampling strategies (e.g., national surveys from the general population, clinical samples, university students) and methodologies (e.g., retrospective self-report and interviews, review of medical and child welfare records, prospective study designs). Finally, we discuss future directions for, and policy implications of, this body of research.

Adolescent Sexual Victimization, ADHD Symptoms, and Risky Sexual Behavior

“…Waite (2007) details several of the functional impairments that young women with ADHD symptoms may experience, including "(a) diminished self-image and self-esteem; (b) less-developed or underdeveloped interpersonal sensitivity skills and awareness of relationship dynamics; (c) decreased information processing skills, such as the ability to retain important information and filter out what is unnecessary; (d) inability to plan and organize effectively without feeling overwhelmed; and (e) increased emotional reactivity" (p. 185). These impairments noted by Waite are similar to outcomes associated with childhood sexual abuse (Chu et al 2011) and to predictors of future sexual victimization (Ullman and Najdowski 2011;Vicary et al 1995).…”

Conceptualizing the challenge of reducing interpersonal violence.

“…First, assessment and evaluation of violence at a national level is fragmented. There have been many excellent surveys and assessments of various types of violence often by key agencies (e.g., US Census Bureau, Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Department of Health and Human Services) (see Chu et al, 2011; Pennell & Crampton, 2011). In many cases efforts are not coordinated, often have different purposes, are not ongoing, and address either a small portion of violence or have restricted definitions (e.g., those acts that constitute official crimes).…”

Multiple dimensions of acculturation and the victimization of Latino adolescents.

“…The negative effects of victimization include distress, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol and drug dependence, deviant behaviors, criminal justice system involvement, and poor school achievement (Hussey, Chang, & Kotch, 2006; Macmillan, 2001; Turner, Finkelhor, & Ormrod, 2006). Research on adolescent victimization has generally focused on risk factors at the individual (e.g., gender, age, relationship to perpetrator, sexual orientation, ability status), parental and familial (e.g., parental exposure to violence, socioeconomic status, parental psychopathology, parental substance abuse, parental stress), and environmental and societal levels (e.g., poverty, neighborhood structure, social support; Chu, Pineda, DePrince, & Freyd, 2010; D. A.…”