Journal
CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT
Volume 32, Issue 10, Pages 958-971Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.12.009
Keywords
Maltreatment; Classification; Latent profile analysis; Outcomes
Categories
Funding
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH [R01MH059780, R21MH065046] Funding Source: NIH RePORTER
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE [R01DA021424] Funding Source: NIH RePORTER
- NIDA NIH HHS [R01 DA021424-03, R01 DA021424] Funding Source: Medline
- NIMH NIH HHS [R21 MH065046-01, R01 MH059780, R21 MH065046, R01 MH059780-01A1] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Objective: Up to 90% of child welfare system cases involve multiple types of maltreatment; however, studies have rarely incorporated multiple dimensions of maltreatment. The present study employed a latent profile analysis to identify naturally occurring subgroups of children who had experienced maltreatment. Methods: Reports of maltreatment incidents for 117 preschool-aged foster children were classified along two dimensions: type (e.g., physical abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, supervisory neglect, or emotional maltreatment) and severity within type. Results: The analyses revealed four distinct profiles showing moderate to high levels of maltreatment: (a) supervisory neglect/emotional maltreatment; (b) sexual abuse/emotional maltreatment/neglect (when not otherwise specified neglect refers to both supervisory and physical neglect); (c) physical abuse/emotional maltreatment/neglect; and (d) sexual abuse/physical abuse/emotional maltreatment/neglect. Profile membership was examined with respect to the children's cognitive functioning and externalizing and internalizing problems: lower cognitive functioning was related to profiles with neglect or physical abuse (or both), externalizing was highest in the sexual abuse/physical abuse/emotional maltreatment/neglect profile, and internalizing was highest in the profiles with physical OF sexual abuse (or both). Conclusions: There appear to be distinct profiles of maltreatment among preschoolers that have differential associations to measures of adjustment. Policy and practice implications and future research directions are discussed. Practice implications: Using different profiles Of Maltreatment to understand specific vulnerabilities may guide in tailoring interventions to the needs of maltreated children. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All Fights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available