Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2005

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Tracy L. Morris.

Abstract

Child maltreatment (i.e., emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect) poses a significant risk for psychological difficulties to millions of children annually. Some children develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other anxiety disorders (e.g., generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder), depressive disorders (e.g., major depressive disorder), and substance abuse/dependence as a result of maltreatment. Fortunately, many other children, who have been termed "resilient," escape such incidents relatively unscathed. This study explored the unique associations between child maltreatment and several outcome variables (e.g., substance use, sexualized behavior, depression, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety) as well as the role in which factors purported to promote resiliency (i.e., level of social support, parentification, attachment style, and locus of control) moderate the relation between child maltreatment and outcome. A large sample of undergraduate students (N = 502) were used in examining these relations. Results from data analyses suggested that the subtypes of maltreatment were not, in all cases, significant predictors of each of the different outcomes. Likewise, the resiliency factors examined in the current study did not consistently emerge as moderators of the maltreatment-outcome relation. Implications of these findings and future directions for research are discussed.

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