Abstract
This study examined the relationship among child abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual), social support from friends and family, and social functioning in a sample of low-income African American children (N = 152). With the exception of the association between sexual abuse and peer support, all of the correlations among study variables were significant. The relationship between child physical and emotional abuse and social functioning were mediated by both family and peer support; however, only family (not peer) support was a significant mediator in the sexual abuse-social functioning link. Additionally, there was no difference found in the strength of mediation via family support versus peer support. Results suggest that mental health professionals should inquire about and attempt to increase children’s levels of social support from family and peers when working with abused youth in order to promote healthy psychological and psychosocial outcomes.
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Acknowledgments
Dorian A. Lamis, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine; Christina K. Wilson, Atlanta VA Medical Center; Nicole M. King, DeKalb Community Service Board; Nadine J. Kaslow, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine.
These data are drawn from a study funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grant R49/CCR419767-0, titled “Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment in Black Families,” awarded to Nadine J. Kaslow.
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Lamis, D.A., Wilson, C.K., King, N.M. et al. Child Abuse, Social Support, and Social Functioning in African American Children. J Fam Viol 29, 881–891 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-014-9639-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-014-9639-9