DiMarzio Karissa, Hare Megan, Sisitsky Michaela, Cadet Geraldine, Satoba Suggizett, Parent Justin
Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Child Abuse Negl. 2025 Feb;160:107174. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107174. Epub 2024 Dec 16.
Research has shown that experiences of emotional maltreatment (i.e., emotional abuse and neglect) can compromise children's development. However, less work has been done to further our understanding of protective factors, which would serve to inform how we can best assist families at risk of emotional maltreatment and strengthen children's resilience.
The current study evaluates whether school and/or community supports moderate relations between emotional abuse or neglect and child psychosocial health (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems).
Participants included youth (N = 3475, 48 % female) and their primary caregivers, a majority of whom identified as biological mothers (68.5 %). Data were from the Future of Family and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal investigation of youths' health and development from across the United States.
Data from Waves 5 and 6 were analyzed for this study. Four longitudinal path analyses were conducted to evaluate associations in a moderation model in which school (i.e., school climate and school connectedness) and community supports (i.e., community cohesion and extracurricular involvement) were observed as possible moderators of the relation between emotional maltreatment and psychosocial outcomes.
School climate emerged as a significant moderator, such that a more supportive school climate buffered the detrimental impact of emotional neglect on youth externalizing problems. No other significant moderating effects were observed.
Although only one significant interaction was observed in the current study, findings help support the importance of social supports outside the home environment in promoting resilience and youths' healthy psychosocial functioning.
研究表明，情感虐待经历（即情感虐待和忽视）会损害儿童的发展。然而，在进一步了解保护因素方面所做的工作较少，而这些因素有助于指导我们如何最好地帮助面临情感虐待风险的家庭，并增强儿童的恢复力。
本研究评估学校和/或社区支持是否会缓和情感虐待或忽视与儿童心理社会健康（即内化和外化问题）之间的关系。
参与者包括青少年（N = 3475，48%为女性）及其主要照顾者，其中大多数为亲生母亲（68.5%）。数据来自“家庭与儿童福祉的未来研究”，这是一项对美国各地青少年健康与发展的纵向调查。
本研究分析了第5波和第6波的数据。进行了四项纵向路径分析，以评估一个调节模型中的关联，在该模型中，学校（即学校氛围和学校联结感）和社区支持（即社区凝聚力和课外参与）被视为情感虐待与心理社会结果之间关系的可能调节因素。
学校氛围成为一个显著的调节因素，即更具支持性的学校氛围缓冲了情感忽视对青少年外化问题的不利影响。未观察到其他显著的调节作用。
尽管在本研究中仅观察到一个显著的交互作用，但研究结果有助于支持家庭外社会支持在促进恢复力和青少年健康心理社会功能方面的重要性。
