Resilience in Physically Abused Children: Protective Factors for Aggression
Date
2015
Journal Title
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Volume Title
Publisher
Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
Aggression continues to be a serious problem among children, especially those
children who have experienced adverse life events such as maltreatment. However, there
are many maltreated children who show resilient functioning. This study investigated
potential protective factors (i.e., child prosocial skills, child internalizing well-being, and
caregiver well-being) that promoted positive adaptation and increased the likelihood of a
child engaging in the healthy, normative range of aggressive behavior, despite
experiencing physical maltreatment. Logistic regression analyses were conducted using
two waves of data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being
(NSCAW-I). Children who were physically maltreated were more likely to exhibit clinical
levels of aggressive behavior at Time 1 than children who were not physically maltreated.
Children’s internalizing well-being, children’s prosocial behavior, and caregivers’
well-being were associated with lower likelihood of clinical levels of aggressive behavior
at Time 1. Children’s internalizing well-being and children’s prosocial behavior remained
significantly associated with nonclinical aggression 18 months later. These findings
highlight the role of protective factors in fostering positive and adaptive behaviors in
maltreated children. Interventions focusing on preventing early aggression and reinforcing
child prosocial skills, child internalizing well-being, and caregiver well-being may be
promising in promoting healthy positive behavioral adjustment.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
resilience, child physical abuse, aggression, well-being, prosocial behavior, longitudinal study
Citation
Holmes, M. R., Yoon, S., Voith, L. A., Kobulsky, J. M., & Steigerwald, S. (2015). Resilience in Physically Abused Children: Protective Factors for Aggression. Behavioral Sciences, 5(2), 176–189.