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Individual, family, and neighborhood factors distinguish resilient from non-resilient maltreated children: a cumulative stressors model.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Jaffee, SR; Caspi, A; Moffitt, TE; Polo-Tomás, M; Taylor, A
Published in: Child abuse & neglect
March 2007

Children who are physically maltreated are at risk of a range of adverse outcomes in childhood and adulthood, but some children who are maltreated manage to function well despite their history of adversity. Which individual, family, and neighborhood characteristics distinguish resilient from non-resilient maltreated children? Do children's individual strengths promote resilience even when children are exposed to multiple family and neighborhood stressors (cumulative stressors model)?Data were from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Study which describes a nationally representative sample of 1,116 twin pairs and their families. Families were home-visited when the twins were 5 and 7 years old, and teachers provided information about children's behavior at school. Interviewers rated the likelihood that children had been maltreated based on mothers' reports of harm to the child and child welfare involvement with the family.Resilient children were those who engaged in normative levels of antisocial behavior despite having been maltreated. Boys (but not girls) who had above-average intelligence and whose parents had relatively few symptoms of antisocial personality were more likely to be resilient versus non-resilient to maltreatment. Children whose parents had substance use problems and who lived in relatively high crime neighborhoods that were low on social cohesion and informal social control were less likely to be resilient versus non-resilient to maltreatment. Consistent with a cumulative stressors model of children's adaptation, individual strengths distinguished resilient from non-resilient children under conditions of low, but not high, family and neighborhood stress.These findings suggest that for children residing in multi-problem families, personal resources may not be sufficient to promote their adaptive functioning.

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Published In

Child abuse & neglect

DOI

EISSN

1873-7757

ISSN

0145-2134

Publication Date

March 2007

Volume

31

Issue

3

Start / End Page

231 / 253

Related Subject Headings

  • United Kingdom
  • Social Environment
  • Sex Factors
  • Risk Factors
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Life Change Events
  • Intelligence
  • Individuality
 

Citation

APA
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MLA
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Jaffee, S. R., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., Polo-Tomás, M., & Taylor, A. (2007). Individual, family, and neighborhood factors distinguish resilient from non-resilient maltreated children: a cumulative stressors model. Child Abuse & Neglect, 31(3), 231–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.03.011
Jaffee, Sara R., Avshalom Caspi, Terrie E. Moffitt, Monica Polo-Tomás, and Alan Taylor. “Individual, family, and neighborhood factors distinguish resilient from non-resilient maltreated children: a cumulative stressors model.Child Abuse & Neglect 31, no. 3 (March 2007): 231–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.03.011.
Jaffee SR, Caspi A, Moffitt TE, Polo-Tomás M, Taylor A. Individual, family, and neighborhood factors distinguish resilient from non-resilient maltreated children: a cumulative stressors model. Child abuse & neglect. 2007 Mar;31(3):231–53.
Jaffee, Sara R., et al. “Individual, family, and neighborhood factors distinguish resilient from non-resilient maltreated children: a cumulative stressors model.Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 31, no. 3, Mar. 2007, pp. 231–53. Epmc, doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.03.011.
Jaffee SR, Caspi A, Moffitt TE, Polo-Tomás M, Taylor A. Individual, family, and neighborhood factors distinguish resilient from non-resilient maltreated children: a cumulative stressors model. Child abuse & neglect. 2007 Mar;31(3):231–253.
Journal cover image

Published In

Child abuse & neglect

DOI

EISSN

1873-7757

ISSN

0145-2134

Publication Date

March 2007

Volume

31

Issue

3

Start / End Page

231 / 253

Related Subject Headings

  • United Kingdom
  • Social Environment
  • Sex Factors
  • Risk Factors
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Life Change Events
  • Intelligence
  • Individuality