Resilience in Maltreated Children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences of various aspects of social competence in two groups of children ranging in age from 5 to 10 years old, a substantiated maltreated group (N=74) and a matched comparison group (N=78). Three facets of social competence were assessed: teacher report, actual observation of conflict management skills and social play interaction during peer interactions (playground observation), and parent perception of child adjustment and behavioral problems. Results comparing the two groups demonstrated that they did not differ on 10 of the 11 measures of social competence. This may be because the two groups were well matched, because there were no seriously abused families in the study, or because all children lived with their parent(s) (no out of home placement). Maltreated children's measures of social competence were standardized and summed to determine if social competence could be predicted in these children. An analysis was performed on three protective measures. The protective measures used were: IQ, hostile intent, and problem solving skills. Results indicated that problem solving skills accounted for the differences in adaptive functioning among maltreated children.