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Previous research has found that childhood maltreatment predicts increased risk for violence and partner violence and there is some evidence for poorer executive functioning and low self-esteem. To date, there have been no longitudinal studies that have examined the extent to which executive functioning and self-esteem play a role in the relationship between child maltreatment and intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. This study aims to fill this gap by utilizing data from a prospective longitudinal study of children with documented court cases of abuse and neglect (ages 0–11 years) from a metropolitan county area in the Midwest (during the years 1967–1971) and demographically matched controls. Both maltreated individuals and matched controls were followed up and assessed over several waves of the study in young and middle adulthood. At mean age 39 years, inhibition and cognitive control were evaluated, while cognitive flexibility and nonverbal reasoning were assessed at mean age 41. Self-esteem was also assessed at mean age 41. Physical IPV perpetration was evaluated at age 47 using two different scoring strategies in separate models: the number of acts and variety of acts, ensuring avoidance of potential score skewness. Childhood maltreatment predicted lower executive functioning and self-esteem, and both independently predicted intimate partner violence perpetration. Lower executive functioning and self-esteem mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and physical IPV perpetration in midlife, irrespective of the scoring method. Findings suggest that executive functioning and self-esteem play a role in the cycle of violence. Implications and suggestions for future directions are discussed. • Little is known about whether childhood maltreatment, executive function, and self-esteem predict IPV perpetration. • Individuals with documented childhood maltreatment had lower executive function and self-esteem than matched controls. • Executive function and self-esteem mediated the link between childhood maltreatment and IPV. • New evidence suggests that executive functioning and self-esteem play a role in the cycle of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stalking is a serious public health problem, estimated to affect about 15% of women and 6% of men. Victims of stalking have been reported to be at increased risk for psychological distress, depression, lowered social and daily functioning, and other forms of victimization. The present study sought to determine whether individuals with documented histories of childhood maltreatment and those with psychiatric disorders are at increased risk for stalking victimization. Participants included maltreated children and matched controls (N = 892) from a Midwestern, metropolitan area who were followed up into adulthood. Psychiatric disorders (major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and substance use disorders) were assessed at mean age 29 and borderline personality disorder at age 39. Participants reported lifetime stalking using the Lifetime Trauma and Victimization History instrument and based on a separate measure, past year intimate partner stalking victimization. Analyses controlled for sex, race, and age. Depression, PTSD, antisocial, and borderline personality disorders were associated with increased lifetime risk for stalking victimization. Childhood maltreatment, neglect, and psychiatric disorders (substance use, PTSD, antisocial personality, and borderline personality) predicted increased risk for past year stalking victimization. Findings indicated sex differences in lifetime risk of stalking victimization and race differences in past-year stalking victimization. Although the results reveal relationships among child maltreatment, psychiatric disorders, and stalking victimization, the impact of childhood maltreatment is most salient in terms of past year intimate partner stalking victimization, and particularly for individuals with histories of neglect. Future research is needed to better understand these race and sex differences in stalking victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though prior research has demonstrated that survivors of childhood sexual abuse may experience a range of negative emotions following the abuse, studies have failed to consider the conflicting, ambivalent, or positive emotions being attributed to the experiences by survivors. The current study describes the development and piloting of two new scales to capture the positive and negative emotions that youth may attribute to experiences of childhood sexual abuse. A sample of youth (N = 136) were recruited and surveyed from community corrections and residential treatment centers in a Midwestern state. Item Response Theory was used to test the performance of the measures and their individual items with the subsample of youth who reported a history of childhood sexual abuse (n = 40). Both new measures demonstrated high internal consistency reliability and appropriately captured the range of positive and negative emotions youth may experience following childhood sexual abuse. Findings indicate that youth who have experienced childhood sexual abuse may have conflicting positive and negative emotions associated with the experiences. Implications for measurement refinement, future research directions, and clinical practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caregiver responses and behaviors often play a significant role in a child's recovery following child sexual abuse (CSA). Caregiver expectations of their child's postabuse functioning has been associated with child symptoms, such that negative expectations lead to worse outcomes for the child. Additionally, caregivers who experienced maltreatment in their own childhood may face difficulties providing support to their child after CSA. Caregivers' own psychological symptoms may influence their expectations for their child's future functioning following CSA. This study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the association between caregivers' childhood maltreatment histories, their expectations for their child's future functioning following CSA, and the indirect effect of caregiver depressive symptoms on this relationship. Participants were 354 nonoffending caregivers presenting to treatment with their child following CSA disclosure. Caregivers were 23-72 years old (M = 38.38, SD = 8.02), predominately white, and predominately biological mothers to the youth who were abused. Results indicated that caregivers who experienced maltreatment in childhood were more likely to experience depressive symptoms, which then lead to more negative expectations of their child's future functioning. As negative expectations are associated with poorer outcomes for children following CSA, increased attention to caregivers' depressive symptoms in treatment may promote more positive expectations for their child's postabuse functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Females exposed to child sexual abuse (CSA) are at an increased risk of experiencing further victimization in adolescence. Associations between CSA and several forms of cyber and in-person peer bullying victimization were assessed in a prospective, longitudinal study. Females exposed to substantiated CSA and a matched comparison group (N = 422) were followed over a two-year period. Bullying experiences were assessed in both survey and qualitative interviews. Qualitative data were coded and used to describe the types (e.g., cyber, physical, verbal), and foci (e.g., threats, physical appearance) of bullying victimization. Logistic regression was used to assess the odds that CSA was associated with subsequent bullying victimization, adjusted for demographics, social networking use, and prior bullying. CSA-exposed females were at an increased risk of multiple forms of bullying victimization with a persistent risk of bullying victimization over time. Specifically, they had 2.6 times higher odds of experiencing any bullying at follow-up, 2.9 times higher odds of experiencing cyberbullying at follow-up, and 2 times higher odds of experiencing combined cyber/in-person bullying at follow-up. CSA-exposed females were more likely than comparison females to experience bullying regarding their appearance/weight and dating relationships. Findings provide further insight into the unique circumstances of the cyberbullying and in-person bullying experienced by CSA-exposed females. Females exposed to child sexual abuse (CSA) are at an increased risk of experiencing bullying victimization, specifically cyberbullying and combined cyber/in-person bullying, as well as bullying about their appearance and dating relationships. These findings indicate that bullying prevention needs to include trauma-focused components to target these uniquely vulnerable females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual abuse prior to age 18 may put some women at risk for engaging in sexual risk taking. This association could exist, in part, as a result of the impact of posttraumatic stress symptoms on behavioral regulation. The current study utilized a path analysis to investigate the association between severity of sexual abuse before age 18, posttraumatic stress symptoms, poor behavioral regulation, and expected engagement in sexual risk taking among college women. The sample consisted of 88 college women with experiences of sexual abuse prior to the age of 18. Severity of sexual abuse predicted posttraumatic stress symptoms. In addition, posttraumatic stress symptoms predicted poor behavioral regulation, which in turn predicted expected engagement in sexual risk taking. These findings indicate functional mechanisms involved in sexual decision making of women who have had past sexual abuse and experience posttraumatic stress symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examined the impact of severe polyvictimization on 30-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among female survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Data were collected from 34 participants in the "Leave it on the Mat" pilot study. The study was conducted in an urban city in a Midwestern state from August 2012 to April 2014. Severe polyvictimization was considered present if participants reported a history of three or more forms of victimization (childhood exposure to domestic violence, being psychologically or physically abused in childhood, and lifetime sexual assault) in addition to IPV. CVD risk factors included smoking, body mass index (BMI), and systolic blood pressure (SBP). A Framingham-based prediction model was used to estimate 30-year CVD risk. A linear regression model, adjusted for age, education, race/ethnicity, and family history of CVD, was calculated. Fifty percent (n = 17) of the study participants reported severe polyvictimization and the average 30-year risk of CVD in the full sample was 22.3. Participants who experienced severe polyvictimization had higher 30-year CVD risk scores when compared to participants who experienced two or fewer forms of victimization. The findings revealed that severe polyvictimization was prevalent among survivors of IPV and was associated with increased scores on the 30-year CVD risk model. Screening for abuse history could aid identification of individuals at high CVD risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child maltreatment is a historical and current problem in the United States. Children are exposed to physical abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse in alarming numbers. In 2014, state agencies found an estimated 702,000 victims of child maltreatment. With two thirds of this group representing child neglect victims, research studies and effective interventions are needed for this group in particular. This study examined the relational nature of child neglect versus child physical abuse. The sample population consisted of 68 girls aged 12 years old at the Midwest site of the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect research project. The secondary analysis was completed with descriptive, correlational, and multiple regression analyses. The results of the analysis revealed the mother-child relationship was significantly related to the presence of neglect and was significantly related to the presence of physical abuse. Peer relationships were not found to be significantly related to the presence of neglect or physical abuse. In the multiple-regression analysis, child neglect versus child physical abuse was more predictive of a negative mother-child relationship. Of note, the outcomes of the study lead to a better understanding of the need for relational interventions in treating victims of child abuse and neglect, as well as the relational nature of abuse and neglect demand interventions that focus on the victim and the caregiver/perpetrator. Such interventions can only result in socially and emotionally connected individuals, improving the functioning of the adolescent and the future adult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among their many responsibilities, foster parents are tasked with providing healthy food and proper nutrition to children with a variety of physical, psychological, and emotional needs. Using the lens of symbolic interactionism, this exploratory mixed methods study examined how foster parents attend to the nutritional needs of abused and neglected children. Methods used included both quantitative surveys and qualitative follow-up interviews. Surveys were completed by 23 foster parents in a large, Midwest metropolitan area. Parents reported they provided their children balanced meals, although one-third of households reported instances of food insecurity. During qualitative interviews, foster parents ( N = 9) described how children arrived at their home with a variety of unhealthy eating habits, some severe in nature. Parents discussed strategies used to modify and improve eating patterns, including offering healthy food choices, having children plan meals, and gathering as a family for daily dinners. In general, parents understood the link between unhealthy eating and past childhood trauma, but also reported being unprepared for more serious eating problems like hoarding. Findings indicate that foster parents need food assistance to increase food security as well as training in assessing and responding a variety of unhealthy child eating behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which investigated the presence of gender differences among men and women who experienced childhood abuse with respect to their romantic relationship adjustment as adults.

This study examined youth recidivism (reoffending) outcomes of the Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM) in an urban county in a Midwestern state. Crossover youth are defined as maltreated youth who have engaged in delinquency. Decreased recidivism is one of the primary outcomes targeted by the CYPM. Previous internal, exploratory research on recidivism indicates positive outcomes for CYPM youth. In the current study, we used a quasi-experimental, post-test only design with independent historical and contemporaneous comparison samples. We linked state-level data from the State Court Information System with the Child Protection Administrative Data and the Automated Report Student System. Youth receiving CYPM services were less likely to recidivate than propensity score matched youth receiving “services as usual” even when controlling for location, time and other key covariates. Study limitations and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a large sample of male youth adjudicated for sexual crimes ( N = 306), we examined the relationship between body disapproval, childhood sexual abuse, and sexually aggressive behaviors using four different linear regression models. In the models we explored different aspects of sexually aggressive behavior including victim age, level of sexual perpetration, use of threats, and total number of victims. We found a clinically significant statistical trend of the effect of body disapproval on victim age ( p = .067). In addition, childhood sexual abuse was significantly related to all aspects of sexually aggressive behaviors ( p < .05). Overall, 19.6 % of the sample youth self-reported at least clinically concerning levels of body disapproval. These clinically important results indicate that the incorporation of body disapproval treatment may be useful in the overall treatment of some male youth who have perpetrated sexual crimes. The prevalence of concerning body disapproval among this vulnerable population of youth makes further research on body disapproval treatment of the upmost importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the moderating role of resiliency characteristics in the relationship between multiplicity of child maltreatment and biopsychosocial outcomes (i.e., psychological, physical, and interpersonal distress) in young adulthood. Participants included 765 college women who completed surveys. Structural equation modeling showed that resiliency characteristics moderated the relationship between multiplicity of child maltreatment and psychological distress; at high levels of resiliency characteristics, there was a nonsignificant relationship between multiplicity of child maltreatment and psychological distress. There was no evidence of moderation for physical or interpersonal distress. However, for both interpersonal and physical distress, the main effects of multiplicity of child maltreatment were positively related to each form of distress, and the main effect of resiliency characteristics was negatively related to each form of distress. These findings underscore the importance of promoting resiliency characteristics among survivors of multiplicity of child maltreatment to promote optimal functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses a study which focuses on the link of intimate partner violence (IPV) between violence exposure in the family-of-origin and IPV perpetration in adolescence and adulthood. Topics include the use of a sample of college men to examine if violence in the family contributes to the development of hostile-dominant interpersonal problems (HDIP), sexual abuse in children as predictor of HDIP, and the eight categories of interpersonal problems.

Objective The purpose of this study was to test whether variations in substance abuse, mental health diagnoses, individual experiences of violence, community experiences of violence, and incarceration history may be reduced to a single underlying syndemic factor for a sample of women incarcerated in three Midwestern U.S. jails. Design and Sample Secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional study of a medical utilization survey; initial confirmatory factor analysis tested fit of model; modification indexes provided confirmatory fit. 290 women incarcerated in three urban Midwestern U.S. jails. Measures Demographics and variables associated with women's criminal justice experience and sexual health risk were assessed. The analysis included women's mental health, drug dependence, childhood sexual and physical abuse, and partner violence. Results The final model had four variables with significant pathways: childhood sexual abuse, childhood physical abuse, domestic violence, and mental health diagnoses. The fit of this model was very good (χ2 (1) = 0.6; CFI = 1.00; standardized RMR = 0.0147), strongly suggesting the intertwined nature of the variables. Conclusion Clarification of the specific components in a syndemic model for this population will allow for the implementation of interventions with the appropriate inclusion of content. In interventions and clinical practice, public health nurses should consider these interrelationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the long-term effects of cumulative childhood maltreatment (CCM) include a variety of adverse consequences, many individuals are resilient following such experiences. This study explored the role of social support from family and friends in buffering long-term outcome following CCM, examining both main and moderating effects. Participants included 344 college aged men and women. Findings revealed strong promotive (main) effects of social support from family and friends that were associated with a reduction in symptoms of depression/anxiety and anger/hostility, regardless of the severity of abuse experienced. Support generally acted as a buffer (moderator) against negative outcomes for individuals with lower, and not higher, levels of CCM. The role of family support in moderating outcome was complex, particularly with respect to women's later dating victimization; here family support functioned as a protective factor at low CCM, but as a vulnerability factor at high CCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We investigated whether abused and neglected children are at risk for negative physical health outcomes in adulthood. Methods. Using a prospective cohort design, we matched children (aged 0-11 years) with documented cases of physical and sexual abuse and neglect from a US Midwestern county during 1967 through 1971 with nonmaltreated children. Both groups completed a medical status examination (measured health outcomes and blood tests) and interview during 2003 through 2005 (mean age = 41.2 years). Results. After adjusting for age, gender, and race, child maltreatment predicted above normal hemoglobin, lower albumin levels, poor peak airflow, and vision problems in adulthood. Physical abuse predicted malnutrition, albumin, blood urea nitrogen, and hemoglobin A1C. Neglect predicted hemoglobin A1C, albumin, poor peak airflow, and oral health and vision problems, Sexual abuse predicted hepatitis C and oral health problems. Additional controls for childhood socioeconomic status, adult socioeconomic status, unhealthy behaviors, smoking, and mental health problems play varying roles in attenuating or intensifying these relationships. Conclusions. Child abuse and neglect affect long-term health status-increasing risk for diabetes, lung disease, malnutrition, and vision problems-and support the need for early health care prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiences of childhood emotional maltreatment exert powerful yet heterogeneous effects on individuals, suggesting that other factors play a significant role in determining long-term adaptation. This study examined whether childhood emotional maltreatment, parental alcoholism, and gender predicted endorsement of early maladaptive schema domains. College students (N = 301) completed questionnaires assessing trauma exposure, parental alcoholism, maladaptive schemas, and posttraumatic symptoms. Analyses revealed that experiences of childhood emotional maltreatment predicted each of the four schema domains (i.e., disconnection, impaired autonomy, impaired limits, and exaggerated standards). Parental alcoholism moderated the relationship between childhood emotional maltreatment and the impaired autonomy schema domain. Gender moderated the relationships between childhood emotional maltreatment and the impaired autonomy and impaired limits schema domains. These findings support Young, Klosko, and Weishaar's (2003) hypotheses regarding early childhood trauma and early maladaptive schemas, and offer guidance to therapists working with survivors of childhood maltreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the current study was to explore college women’s stay/ leave decisions in abusive relationships using a prospective methodology. Participants (N = 323) completed surveys at the beginning and end of a 10-week academic quarter for course credit. A path analysis suggested that the model—which included investment model variables (i.e., relationship commitment, investment, satisfaction, and quality of alternatives), childhood abuse, psychological distress, avoidance coping, and self-esteem—was a good fit to the data and predicted abused women’s leaving behaviors over the interim. The implications of these findings for future research, theory, and clinical work are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]