Citation

Bennett DS, Sullivan MW, Lewis M. Child Maltreat. 2010; 15(4): 305-314.

Affiliation

Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA. david.bennett@drexelmed.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077559510379634

PMID

20724372

Abstract

Neglected children may be at increased risk for depressive symptoms. This study examines shame-proneness as an outcome of child neglect and as a potential explanatory variable in the relation between neglect and depressive symptoms. Participants were 111 children (52 with a Child Protective Services [CPS] allegation of neglect) seen at age 7. Neglected children reported more shame-proneness and more depressive symptoms than comparison children. Guilt-proneness, in contrast, was unrelated to neglect and depressive symptoms, indicating specificity for shame-proneness. The potential role of shame as a process variable that can help explain how some neglected children exhibit depressive symptoms is discussed.

Language: en