Child Behavior Problems and Maltreatment Exposure

OBJECTIVES:Establish the longitudinal cross-lagged associations between maltreatment exposure and child behavior problems to promote screening and the type and timing of interventions needed.METHODS:The Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect, a multiwave prospective cohort study of maltreatment exposure, enrolled children and caregivers (N = 1354) at approximately age 4 and followed them throughout childhood and adolescence. Families completed 7 waves of data collection with each wave occurring 2 years apart. Maltreatment was confirmed using official case records obtained from Child Protective Services. Six-month frequencies of behavior problems were assessed via caregiver-report. Two random-intercept, cross-lagged panel models tested the directional relations between maltreatment exposure and externalizing and internalizing behaviors.RESULTS:Maltreatment exposure predicted increases in externalizing behaviors at ages 8 (b = 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.14–1.98), 12 (b = 1.09; 95% CI 0.08–2.09), and 16 (b = 1.67; 95% CI 0.30–3.05) as well as internalizing behaviors at ages 6 (b = 0.66; 95% CI 0.03–1.29), 12 (b = 1.25; 95% CI 0.33–2.17), and 14 (b = 1.92; 95% CI 0.76–2.91). Increases in externalizing behaviors predicted maltreatment exposure at age 12 (odds ratio 1.02; 95% CI 1.00–1.05).CONCLUSIONS:Maltreatment exposure is robustly associated with subsequent child behavior problems, strengthening inferences about the directionality of these relations. Early screening of externalizing behaviors in pediatric settings can identify children likely to benefit from intervention to reduce such behaviors as well as prevent maltreatment exposure at entry to adolescence.

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Work Title Child Behavior Problems and Maltreatment Exposure
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Anneke E Olson
  2. John Michael Felt
  3. Emily D Dunning
  4. Zhenyu Z Zhang
  5. Metzli A Lombera
  6. Camille Moechel
  7. Manal Mustafa
  8. Camille Moeckel
  9. Camille Moeckel
  10. Manal U Mustafa
  11. Brian Allen
  12. Lori Frasier
  13. Chad E. Shenk
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Pediatrics
Publication Date January 1, 2024
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-064625
Deposited January 21, 2025

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  • Created
  • Added Olson_et_al._2024-Behavior_Problems_and_Child_Maltreatment.pdf
  • Added Creator Anneke E Olson
  • Added Creator John Michael Felt
  • Added Creator Emily D Dunning
  • Added Creator Zhenyu Z Zhang
  • Added Creator Metzli A Lombera
  • Added Creator Camille Moechel
  • Added Creator Manal Mustafa
  • Added Creator Camille Moeckel
  • Added Creator Camille Moeckel
  • Added Creator Manal U Mustafa
  • Added Creator Brian Allen
  • Added Creator Lori Frasier
  • Added Creator Chad E. Shenk
  • Published
  • Updated