Citation

Kim J, Cicchetti D. Child Dev. 2006; 77(3): 624-639.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, 24061, USA. jungmeen@vt.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00894.x

PMID

16686792

PMCID

PMC1551975

Abstract

This study used latent growth modeling to investigate longitudinal relationships between self-system processes and depressive symptoms among maltreated (n = 142) and non-maltreated children (n = 109) aged 6-11 years. On average, self-esteem and self-agency increased and depressive symptoms decreased over time. Multivariate growth modeling indicated that, regardless of gender, physical abuse was negatively related to initial levels of self-esteem, and physical abuse and physical neglect were positively associated with initial levels of depressive symptoms. Emotional maltreatment was predictive of changes in self-esteem and changes in depressive symptoms. Initial levels of self-esteem were negatively associated with initial levels of depressive symptoms. The findings contribute to enhancing our understanding of the developmental processes whereby early maltreatment experiences are linked to later maladjustment.

Language: en