Maltreatment and the School Aged Child: Developmental Outcomes and System Issues

• NCJ Number: 133403
• Author(s): J S Wodarski; P D Kurtz; J M Gaudin Jr; P T Howing
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 61 pages
• Grant Number(s): 90CA136/01
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Over the course of this study, 69 children aged 8 to 16 years who had been physically abused or neglected were compared with 70 nonmaltreated peers, and their families were compared with nonmaltreatment families.

Abstract

To assess children and their families comprehensively, data were obtained from parents, teachers, children, school records, and child protective service workers (for maltreated children) in nine geographically diverse Georgia counties. It was hypothesized there would be significant delays for abused or neglected school children in areas of school performance, socioemotional development, and adaptive functioning and significantly higher levels of family stress, parental depression, and social isolation for maltreating than for nonmaltreating families. Results provided substantial evidence of the negative and lasting effects of maltreatment on school children and their families. Both physically abused and neglected children fared poorly in school and were considered at risk of school failure, dropping out of school, or expulsion. Physically abused children were socioemotionally impaired and displayed severe and pervasive problems on every dimension of social and emotional development assessed. Neglected children differed minimally from comparison children on measures of socioemotional development. Both groups of maltreated children showed unexpected strengths on adaptive behavior measures. Maltreated children's difficulties persisted over time, but diminished somewhat between initial and followup data collection. Parents in both maltreatment groups reported high levels of stress from recent life events, especially stress over the use of alcohol or drugs by family members. Neglect families reported high levels of stress over marital and interpersonal conflict. There were no reported differences among the groups in the availability or utilization of social support. Recommendations to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect are offered. 17 references and 17 figures