Longitudinal associations of maternal depression and adolescents' depression and behaviors: Moderation by maltreatment and sex.

This study explored the longitudinal relationships among maternal depressive symptoms, children's depressive symptoms, aggression, and rule breaking and tested the moderating effects of maltreatment and child sex. A sample of 175 biological mother-child dyads (86 maltreated and 89 comparison) were seen at three time points, beginning at an average child age of 10.87 years.

Patterns and correlates of co-occurrence among multiple types of child maltreatment.

This study examined the patterns and correlates of the types of maltreatment experienced by adolescents aged 9-12, participating in an ongoing longitudinal study on the impact of neglect on children's development. Using case record abstraction, the study compared the child protection classification and findings from the case record abstraction with regard to the rates of four types of maltreatment (i.e.

Maltreated and comparison adolescents' recollections of lifetime residences: Relationship to delinquency and marijuana use.

Both childhood maltreatment and frequent childhood residence changes are associated with poor behavioral outcomes including drug use and delinquency. It is not clear whether a higher number of residences results in poorer outcomes for maltreated adolescents compared to adolescents living in the same community but without child welfare-documented maltreatment. Our study of child welfare-affiliated maltreated youth (n=216) and comparison youth (n=128) from the same community (age = 18.

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Early Timing of Puberty.

Purpose: The purpose was to examine whether the timing of puberty, indexed by breast development and pubic hair development, was earlier for sexually abused females compared with a matched comparison group of nonabused females, controlling for key alternative confounds.

Methods: A cohort of sexually abused females and matched comparisons was followed longitudinally at mean ages 11 through 20 years. Sexually abused participants (N = 84) were referred by protective services.

Concordance Between Self-Reported Childhood Maltreatment Versus Case Record Reviews for Child Welfare-Affiliated Adolescents.

The present study used data from an ongoing longitudinal study of the effects of maltreatment on adolescent development to (1) describe rates of maltreatment experiences obtained from retrospective self-report versus case record review for adolescents with child welfare-documented maltreatment histories, (2) examine self-reported versus child welfare-identified maltreatment in relation to mental health and risk behavior outcomes by maltreatment type, and (3) examine the association between the number of different types of maltreatment and mental health and risk behavior outcomes. Maltreatment was coded from case records using the Maltreatment Case Record Abstraction Instrument (MCRAI) and participants were asked at mean age = 18.49 about childhood maltreatment experiences using the Comprehensive Trauma Interview (CTI).

Self-Report of Health Problems and Health Care Use among Maltreated and Comparison Adolescents.

The study aims were to compare maltreated and comparison adolescents' health problems and to identify how individual, family and home characteristics and maltreatment status affect adolescents' self-report of health status and health care use. The sample was 224 maltreated adolescents (mean age = 18.3 years) and 128 comparison adolescents (mean age = 18.

Towards a Role for Clinical Pathology Diagnostics for Childhood Maltreatment.

Recent reports from the Center for Disease Control and Kaiser Permanente demonstrate that early life adverse experience leads to morbidity and mortality in adulthood. To date there are no objective tests that help care-givers or local child protective services make informed decisions for children with a history of abuse, neglect or trauma. This is the first report from a new group of trans-disciplinary investigators describing a new approach to identify the biological impact of childhood maltreatment using clinical pathology testing.

Cortisol profiles: A test for adaptive calibration of the stress response system in maltreated and nonmaltreated youth.

Throughout the life span, exposure to chronic stress such as child maltreatment is thought to contribute to future dysfunction of the stress response system (SRS) through the process of adaptive calibration. Dysfunction of the SRS is associated with numerous health and behavior problems, so it is important to understand under what conditions and what time frame adaptive calibration occurs. The present study tested for adaptive calibration of the SRS in a sample of maltreated (n = 303) and nonmaltreated (n = 151) youth during the important developmental period of adolescence.

Characteristics of the Social Support Networks of Maltreated Youth: Exploring the Effects of Maltreatment Experience and Foster Placement.

Little is known about the social support networks of maltreated youth or how youth in foster care may compare with those who remain with their parent(s). Social network characteristics and perceived social support were examined between (1) maltreated and comparison youth, (2) maltreated youth who remained with their biological parent, those with a foster parent, or a those with a kin caregiver, and (3) youth in stable placements and those who have changed placements. Data came from a sample of 454 adolescents (241 boys, 9-13 years old at enrollment) who took part in a longitudinal study of child maltreatment.

Childhood maltreatment, pubertal development, HPA axis functioning, and psychosocial outcomes: An integrative biopsychosocial model.

The timing and pace of pubertal development has been associated with psychosocial functioning, with pubertal variables represented both as predictors (e.g., earlier puberty linked with poor outcomes) and as sequelae (e.

Child Maltreatment and Sexual Risk Behavior: Maltreatment Types and Gender Differences.

Objective: To compare sexual risk behaviors in maltreated male and female sexually active adolescents with a comparison population and examine whether specific maltreatment experiences were associated with sexual risk behaviors and teen pregnancy.

Method: Data came from the fourth assessment (M = 7.2 years after baseline) of an ongoing longitudinal study with case-control design.

Pubertal Timing and Tempo: Associations With Childhood Maltreatment.

The present study examined pubertal timing and tempo in a sample of 445 adolescents (53% male), using both variable-centered (latent growth curve) and person-centered (latent class) approaches, to discern the pubertal development trajectories associated with the experience of maltreatment. Results from the variable-centered analyses indicated a slower initial tempo that increased later for boys who had experienced neglect. The person-centered results indicated three classes for boys that mainly differentiated tempo effects and two classes for girls primarily distinguishing timing differences.

Elucidating the mechanisms linking early pubertal timing, sexual activity, and substance use for maltreated versus nonmaltreated adolescents.

Purpose: To test models linking pubertal timing, peer substance use, sexual behavior, and substance use for maltreated versus comparison adolescents. Three theoretical mechanisms were tested: (1) peer influence links early pubertal timing to later sexual behavior and substance use; (2) early maturers engage in substance use on their own and then select substance-using friends; or (3) early maturers initiate sexual behaviors which lead them to substance-using peers.

Methods: The data came from a longitudinal study of the effects of child maltreatment on adolescent development (303 maltreated and 151 comparison adolescents; age, 9-13 years at initial wave).

A population-level and longitudinal study of adolescent mothers and intergenerational maltreatment.

For teenage mothers in California, we generated population-level estimates of the relationship between maternal history of maltreatment and next-generation abuse and neglect. California birth records for all infants born to primiparous teen mothers in 2006 or 2007 were linked to statewide child protective services (CPS) records. For each birth, we used CPS records to document 1) whether the teen mother had a history of reported or substantiated maternal maltreatment at or after age 10 years and before the estimated date of conception and 2) whether the teen's child was reported or substantiated for maltreatment before age 5 years.

The whole picture: Child maltreatment experiences of youths who were physically abused.

The purpose of the current study was to describe the maltreatment experiences of a sample of urban youths identified as physically abused using the Maltreatment Case Record Abstraction Instrument (MCRAI). The sample (n=303) of 9-12 year old youths was recruited from active child protective services (CPS) cases in 2002-2005, and five years of child protective service records were reviewed. The demographic and maltreatment experiences of MCRAI-identified youths with physical abuse were compared to maltreated youths who were not physically abused and youths who were identified as physically abused by CPS when they entered this longitudinal study.

Differences in caregiver-reported health problems and health care use in maltreated adolescents and a comparison group from the same urban environment.

Maltreated youth have a high prevalence of acute and chronic mental and physical health problems, but it is not clear whether these problems are related to maltreatment or to a disadvantaged environment. To compare health status and health care use of maltreated youth who had an open case with child protective services to comparison youth living in the same community, we conducted a secondary analysis of caregiver reports for 207 maltreated adolescents (mean age 11.9 years) and 142 comparison adolescents (mean age 12.

Body mass index trajectory throughout adolescence: a comparison of maltreated adolescents by maltreatment type to a community sample.

Background: Childhood maltreatment is associated with adult obesity, but there is conflicting evidence regarding the relationship between childhood maltreatment and obesity during adolescence.

Objectives: To compare the body mass index (BMI) trajectory of adolescents with a specific type of maltreatment (sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse or neglect) to adolescents with another type of maltreatment (maltreated sample n = 303) and to a comparison group (n = 151).

Methods: Individual growth models were used to estimate average growth trajectories of BMI percentile separately by sex (ages 9 to 22 years).

Attenuated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning predicts accelerated pubertal development in girls 1 year later.

Accelerated pubertal development has been linked to adverse early environments and may heighten subsequent mental and physical health risks. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning has been posited as a mechanism whereby stress may affect pubertal development, but the literature lacks prospective tests of this mechanism. The current study assessed 277 youth (M = 10.

Stress reactivity in maltreated and comparison male and female young adolescents.

The purpose of the present report was to examine the association of recent maltreatment experiences with cortisol reactivity in young adolescents. The ethnically diverse sample consisted of boys and girls 9 to 12 years of age. The maltreatment group (N = 303) all had recent, substantiated reports to protective services for neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and/or emotional maltreatment.

Characterizing the sexual abuse experiences of young adolescents.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to: (a) compare the demographics of maltreated youth initially labeled as sexually abused by the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) to maltreated youth classified as sexually abused using current and past case records, (b) identify differences in sexual abuse experiences and types of perpetrators between boys and girls, and (c) provide a detailed description of the sexual abuse experiences for boys and girls. Participants were youth ages 9-12 years old with a recent maltreatment allegation. The Maltreatment Case Record Abstraction Instrument (MCRAI) was used to code child welfare records of 303 maltreated youth of whom 60 experienced sexual abuse.

Peer substance use as a mediator between early pubertal timing and adolescent substance use: longitudinal associations and moderating effect of maltreatment.

Background: Early pubertal timing has received considerable empirical support as a risk for adolescent substance use. However, few studies have examined the mediators linking these variables. Therefore, the aims of this study were (1) to examine peer substance use as a mediator between pubertal timing and adolescent substance use longitudinally and (2) to test gender and maltreatment experience as moderators of the mediational model.

Overweight and obesity among maltreated young adolescents.

Purpose: (1) To identify and compare rates of body mass index (BMI)≥ 85% (overweight/obesity) and BMI ≥ 95% (obesity) in maltreated versus comparison young adolescents; (2) to determine whether demographic/psychological characteristics are related to high BMI; (3) to determine whether type of maltreatment is related to high BMI in maltreated young adolescents.

Methods: We compared a sample of maltreated young adolescents to a comparison sample of adolescents from the same neighborhood. The maltreated sample (n=303) of young adolescents (ages 9-12) came from referrals from the county child welfare department in Los Angeles, CA from new cases of maltreatment opened in specified zip codes.

Variations in emotional abuse experiences among multiply maltreated young adolescents and relations with developmental outcomes.

Objective: Based on the data obtained through Child Protective Services (CPS) case records abstraction, this study aimed to explore patterns of overlapping types of child maltreatment in a sample of urban, ethnically diverse male and female youth (n= 303) identified as maltreated by a large public child welfare agency.

Methods: A cluster analysis was conducted on data for 303 maltreated youth. The overall categorization of four types of abuse (i.