Direct and indirect effects of child abuse and environmental stress: A lifecourse perspective on adversity and depressive symptoms.

There is a great deal of evidence about the mental health implications of physical child abuse and environmental stressors, or hardships that people experience at the household and neighborhood level (e.g., neighborhood violence; economic hardship, substance abuse, or conflict among family members).

Parent and peer pathways linking childhood experiences of abuse with marijuana use in adolescence and adulthood.

Introduction: The social developmental processes by which child maltreatment increases risk for marijuana use are understudied. This study examined hypothesized parent and peer pathways linking preschool abuse and sexual abuse with adolescent and adult marijuana use.

Methods: Analyses used data from the Lehigh Longitudinal Study.

Mediating and moderating effects of social support in the study of child abuse and adult physical and mental health.

A number of cross-sectional and a few longitudinal studies have shown a developmental relationship between child abuse and adult physical and mental health. Published findings also suggest that social support can lessen the risk of adverse outcomes for some abused children. However, few studies have investigated whether social support mediates or moderates the relationship between child abuse and adult physical and mental health.

Developmental Impacts of Child Abuse and Neglect Related to Adult Mental Health, Substance Use, and Physical Health.

This study examined the association between officially recorded child abuse and neglect and adult mental health, substance use, and physical health outcomes. Data are from a longitudinal study of more than 30 years in which individuals were interviewed most recently in their mid -30s. Analyses consisted of group comparisons using chi-square tests for categorical variables and independent samples t-tests for continuous measures.

Tests of the mitigating effects of caring and supportive relationships in the study of abusive disciplining over two generations.

Purpose: To examine evidence of the continuity in abusive discipline across two generations (G1 and G2) and the role of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships (SSNRs) as protective factors.

Methods: Data are from the Lehigh Longitudinal Study, a prospective investigation of the causes and consequences child maltreatment that began in the 1970s with a sample of 457 children and their parents. Data were most recently collected in 2008-2010 from 80% of the original child sample (N = 357) when they were adults age 36 years on average.