Child Maltreatment

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Cognitive functioning as a result of maltreatment

● Case-control, prospective cohort design, population-based, case-control,

or cross-sectional studies

● School-aged children

● Control groups and cohorts

Exclusion

● Intimate partner violence

● Newborns, infants, toddlers, adolescents, and adults

● Students who had experienced maltreatment but did not show academic deficits

Literature Search Flow Diagram (diagram in slide)

Results

Characteristics of the Studies

● Total of 12,999 children

● Samples ranging 43 to 11,835

● Ages 3-12 years old

● Setting- schools, foster care, & low-income urban settings

● Types of maltreatment- sexual, physical, neglect, verbal, & combinations

● Study designs- longitudinal, case-control, cohort, & cross-sectional

● Statistically significant relationship between child maltreatment and academic achievement

● Neglect had the most significant impact

● The earlier the abuse, the greater the impact on academic deficits

● Chronic maltreatment linked to poorer math & reading scores

● Multiple forms of abuse linked to numerous symptoms

● Sexually abused girls had greater difficulty with language and mathematics

● Impact of parenting styles

Discussion

● Varied in study design, sample size, characteristics, data collection methods, study length, statistical analysis

● Strengths of the Research

○ Reliability & validity of measurements tools, control variables, substantiated abuse, larger samples, use of multiple informants

● Weaknesses of the Research

○ Lack of control groups, confounding variables, violence exposure, lack of reports associated factors and use of the participant’s fathers as informants, and differences in training of researchers

Implications for Research

● Post-abuse evaluation

● Comparison-group designs related to school adaptation & sexual abuse

● Proper surveillance by experienced officials who can provide accurate evaluations.

● Identifying & encouraging positive parenting & low negativity

Implications for Practice

● Become a trauma-informed practice

● Develop relationships with families

● Structured clinical assessment tools

● Early identification

● Therapeutic-based programs for children with substantiated abuse

Conclusion

● Child maltreatment was broadly defined, but study participants were affected differently

● A standard measurement tool may assist with identifying which symptoms are related to specific forms of abuse

● Children who experience abuse show maladaptive behaviors

● Prevention programs