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Fostering Resilient Development: Protective Factors Underlying Externalizing Trajectories of Maltreated Children

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Abstract

This study investigated patterns of the developmental trajectories of externalizing behavior problems among 449 young maltreated children (ages 4–5) over a period of approximately eight years and examined the roles of maltreatment and protective factors in shaping various trajectory patterns. Secondary research was conducted using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW-I). Latent class growth analysis identified three distinctive externalizing trajectory groups: high–decreasing (10%); moderate–increasing (13%); low–stable (77%). Physically or sexually abused children were more likely to be in the high–decreasing group whereas male and Black children were more likely to be in the moderate–increasing group. Child prosocial skills and caregiver well-being decreased the probability of membership in the high–decreasing group compared to the low–stable group. The findings suggest that, despite early exposure to trauma, many maltreated children display a low or normal level of externalizing behavior problems over time, providing empirical evidence of resilience in maltreated children. Interventions focusing on enhancing child prosocial skills and caregiver well-being may be helpful in lowering the risk of clinically significant externalizing behavior problems over the course of childhood among maltreated children.

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Acknowledgements

This document includes data from the National Survey on Child and Adolescent Well-Being, which was developed under contract with the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (ACYF/DHHS). The data were provided by the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect. Funded through the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau, Grant #90CA1817. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the funders, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. This information is in the public domain. Readers are encouraged to copy and share it, but please credit the author.

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S.Y. designed and executed the study, analyzed the data, and wrote the paper.

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  1. The Ohio State University, College of Social Work, 1947 College Rd., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Susan Yoon

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  1. Susan Yoon
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Correspondence to Susan Yoon.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Case Western Reserve University approved the study (IRB-2014–918).

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Yoon, S. Fostering Resilient Development: Protective Factors Underlying Externalizing Trajectories of Maltreated Children. J Child Fam Stud 27, 443–452 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0904-4

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