Anthonysamy Angela, Zimmer-Gembeck Melanie J
School of Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Qld, Australia.
Child Abuse Negl. 2007 Sep;31(9):971-91. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.04.004. Epub 2007 Sep 17.
The aims of the present study were to investigate (1) whether young children with a known history of maltreatment by caregivers have more problematic peer relationships and classroom behaviors than other children, and (2) if children's behaviors with peers mediated associations between maltreatment and children's problem peer relations.
Participants included 400 young children (ages 4-8, M age=6.6), and 24 teachers in 22 schools. Six percent of children had a known history of maltreatment. Multiple methods (ratings and nominations) and reporters (children and teachers) were utilized to obtain information on peer relationships. Teachers reported children's physical/verbal aggression, and withdrawn and prosocial behaviors.
Young children were able to nominate and rate whom they liked versus disliked in their classes, and their reports were modestly correlated with teacher reports. Regardless of the reporter, maltreated children were significantly more disliked, physically/verbally aggressive, withdrawn, and less prosocial, compared with their classmates. Among all children, physical/verbal aggression, withdrawal, and prosocial behavior were associated independently with some aspect of peer status. Maltreatment had indirect associations with peer likeability and peer rejection via maltreated children's relatively higher levels of physical/verbal aggression and, in some cases, withdrawal and relatively lower prosocial behavior. Maltreatment had an indirect association with teacher-reported peer acceptance via children's withdrawal.
Findings indirectly associate early family experiences with problems in peer relationships, especially lower peer likeability and more rejection, via children's behaviors with peers. The finding that linkages exist even in the very earliest years of school highlights the need for very early home- or school-based efforts focused on improving behavior and relationships of maltreated children and others children with similar profiles.
本研究的目的是调查：（1）有被照顾者虐待史的幼儿是否比其他儿童有更多问题同伴关系和课堂行为；（2）儿童与同伴的行为是否介导了虐待与儿童问题同伴关系之间的关联。
参与者包括400名幼儿（4 - 8岁，平均年龄 = 6.6岁）以及22所学校的24名教师。6%的儿童有已知的虐待史。采用多种方法（评分和提名）以及报告者（儿童和教师）来获取同伴关系方面的信息。教师报告儿童的身体/言语攻击、退缩和亲社会行为。
幼儿能够提名并评价他们在班级中喜欢和不喜欢的人，他们的报告与教师的报告有适度的相关性。无论报告者是谁，与同班同学相比，受虐待儿童明显更不受喜欢，身体/言语攻击性更强，更退缩，亲社会行为更少。在所有儿童中，身体/言语攻击、退缩和亲社会行为分别与同伴地位的某些方面独立相关。虐待通过受虐待儿童相对较高水平的身体/言语攻击，以及在某些情况下的退缩和相对较低的亲社会行为，与同伴喜欢程度和同伴拒绝存在间接关联。虐待通过儿童的退缩与教师报告的同伴接纳存在间接关联。
研究结果间接表明，早期家庭经历通过儿童与同伴的行为与同伴关系问题相关，尤其是较低的同伴喜欢程度和更多的拒绝。即使在入学的最初几年就存在这种联系，这一发现凸显了需要在家庭或学校层面尽早做出努力，重点改善受虐待儿童以及其他具有类似情况儿童的行为和关系。
