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The purpose of this study was to explore and identify patterns of risk predictors of maltreatment recurrence using predictive risk modeling (PRM). This study used the administrative dataset from the National Child Maltreatment Information System recorded by Korean CPS (Child Protective Service) workers. The information, including recurrent maltreatment, was collected in 2012; then, those reported cases were followed for 2 years through 2014. The data included information about child, family, caregiver, maltreatment, and service characteristics and consisted of male (50.22%) and female (49.78%) children with an average age of 9 years (n = 4319). We examined the association of risk factors with recurrence using conditional inference trees (CTREE): a tree-based data mining algorithm for classification that allows the exploration of the interconnection between hypothesized risk factors. Study findings showed that a history of prior CPS involvement was the first decision point in the decision tree structure of recurrence. The effect of other risk factors depended on the presence of prior CPS involvement. In the absence of prior CPS involvement, cases with (a) a single-parent status and (b) a caregiver's alcohol abuse living in other types of households (two-parent households, kinship care, and children without parents) were associated with recurrence. In the presence of prior CPS involvement, cases with out-of-home care or others (long- or short-term foster care and emergency placement) in the final decision of child placement (a) where in-home care in the initial decision of child placement within the presence of physical abuse and (b) where social isolation without physical abuse was related to recurrence. Cases with (a) a male caregiver and (b) a female caregiver with social isolation and without social isolation yet employed were at high risk for recurrence under the circumstance of in-home care in the final decision of child placement. This exploratory study found multiple connections among the factors in the prediction of recurrence. The CTREE helps unravel the complexity embedded in maltreatment recurrence by capturing its patterns. This information can deepen our knowledge of associations between risk factors in the prediction of recurrence and be used as a reference to inform child maltreatment policy and prevention.

Background: Despite extensive research examining features of adolescents' ego-identity development, little research has demonstrated patterns of ego-identity development and its relationship with various individual and environmental factors that are theoretically important for identity development. Objective: The current study investigated developmental trajectories of ego-identity and the longitudinal relationship between multiple predictors (Korean language proficiency, sex/gender, logged household income, and child maltreatment) and ego-identity development. Methods: Data from three time points (Time 1 = 9th grade; Time 2 = 11th grade; Time 3 = 12th grade) of the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (N = 7053) were used. The mean age of participants in each wave was 15, 17, and 18 years old. Results: The results showed that the level of ego-identity development varied across times--that the developmental pattern plateaued and decreased slightly after Time 2. A significant association between Korean language proficiency and ego-identity development was found, indicating that individuals who reported a higher level of Korean language proficiency displayed a greater level of ego-identity over the three observation periods. Sex/gender, logged household income, and child maltreatment were significantly associated with ego-identity development at the initial level. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of identifying patterns of ego-identity development and understanding its association with multiple predictors.

Background: Children who come from families on welfare or government assistance might be at risk for bullying involvement. As research has shown, children living in poverty and experiencing family economic hardship are significantly likely to be involved in bullying in school. Objective: This study investigates whether welfare assistance is associated with children's bullying victimization and perpetration, controlling for the covariates including mother (educational level, marital status, employment status, perceived parenting) and child (sex, age, race/ethnicity) characteristics. The study also explores whether various kinds of welfare assistance programs, such as Medicaid, Cash Assistance, SNAP, free/reduced breakfasts or lunches at school and the WIC program are independently associated with children's bullying victimization and perpetration, controlling for the covariates. Method: Participants were 15,010 caregivers of children, ages 6-11 years, who completed the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). Results: Results suggest that children receiving welfare assistance were more likely to be victims and perpetrators of bullying than children not on assistance. All of the welfare assistance variables were associated with increased odds of bullying perpetration, and three out of five welfare assistance programs--Medicaid, SNAP, and free/reduced breakfasts or lunches at school were statistically significantly associated with increased odds of bullying victimization. Conclusion: Children in families receiving welfare assistance appear to be at an increased risk of being both victims and perpetrators of bullying, which suggests a need for bullying programming for this population.

The study aims to examine (1) the association between bullying victimization and suicidal thoughts and (2) neighborhood conditions as a moderated mediated model of the association between bullying victimization, emotional distress, and suicidal thoughts. The sample consists of 414 African American youths (ages 12–17) in Chicago's Southside neighborhoods. Variables included suicidal thoughts, bullying victimization, emotional distress, neighborhood conditions, age, sex, and government assistance. Analyses included descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multivariate regression analyses. The study found that bullying victimization was not directly associated with suicidal thoughts. However, bullying victimization was positively associated with emotional distress, which was related to suicidal thoughts. Moreover, emotional distress as a mediator of the association between bullying victimization and suicidal thoughts was observed when neighborhood conditions were a moderator. The findings suggest that bullying victimization and suicidal thoughts are major concerns for African American adolescents, and prevention and intervention need to be cost-effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explores the relationship between bullying victimization and suicidal thoughts among African American adolescents in urban neighborhoods. The study, which was guided by the general strain theory, proposed and tested potential pathways that link bullying victimization with suicidal thoughts through the mediators including emotional distress, low future orientation, hopelessness, and drug use. The study sample included 414 African American adolescents who were between ages 12 and 22 years and residing in low-income Chicago's South Side neighborhoods. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, and path analyses were conducted. Bullying victimization was not significantly related to suicidal thoughts, although it was positively associated with emotional distress and drug use. The association between low future orientation and hopelessness was bidirectional. The study findings have implications for practice, which is important as resources to assist adolescents who are affected by violence tend to be limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression and anxiety are common and persistent internalizing disorders during adolescence. The present study aimed to explore whether family resilience would moderate the effects of bullying victimization, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and poverty status on adolescent internalizing disorders. This study used the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) and included 20,708 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years (M = 14.7, SD = 1.70). Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to examine the relationship of bullying victimization, ACEs, and poverty status with adolescents' internalizing disorders and explore the moderating role of family resilience on that relationship. The study found positive associations of bullying victimization, ACEs, and poverty status with adolescents' internalizing disorders. Family resilience moderated the effects of bullying victimization and ACEs on adolescents' internalizing disorders. The findings suggest that to prevent adolescents' internalizing disorders, it is critical to promote family resilience and reduce bullying victimization, ACEs, and poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify the trend of judicial decisions on child abuse deaths in South Korea and provide practical implications to improve the current child welfare legislation (the Child Abuse Act or the CAA). The present study investigated factors related to sentencing decisions for child abuse deaths between 2000 and 2013 (45 cases before the CAA) and between 2014 and 2017 (20 cases after the CAA). This study used Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to examine whether there were differences in judicial decisions before and after the CAA. The results showed that the sentencing standard has become stricter following the enactment of the CAA; however, sentences have still been primarily guided by judicial discretion. The current study suggests that it is important to amend the current CAA to clarify sentencing standards for child abuse. This amendment can ensure that punishment is primarily determined by specific provisions of the law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has demonstrated that online sexual victimization (OSV) is a significant social problem and is associated with adolescents' negative developmental outcomes. However, it remains unclear whether adolescents' risky online behaviors and offline victimization are related to the risk of OSV. The present study examined whether female adolescents' risky online behaviors (mood regulation through the Internet, ingratiating behavior, disclosure of personal information, harassing behavior, talking with someone met online, and sexual behavior) and offline victimization (adverse childhood experiences [ACEs]) would be associated with OSV. This study recruited female adolescents and their mothers within six metropolitan cities and provinces of residential areas of South Korea. A total of 509 female adolescents participated in the survey (aged 13–18 years). The present study employed multivariate regression to examine the relationship of risky online behaviors and offline victimization to the experience of OSV. Female adolescents' risky online behaviors (harassing behavior, talking with someone met online, and sexual behavior) were significantly associated with OSV, and those with high exposure to maltreatment and family dysfunction during childhood were more at risk of OSV than adolescents with low exposure to ACEs. The results suggest that it is important to address the effects of risky online behaviors and exposure to offline victimization on female adolescents' sexual victimization online. Identifying risky online behaviors and offline victimization related to OSV can help researchers and practitioners further understand female adolescents' online victimizations in the context of offline and online dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A few studies have found that children whose families are economically disadvantaged and financially struggling are at an elevated risk of victimization by their peers. However, extant research is largely descriptive. To address this gap, this study empirically tested the proposed pathways from family financial struggle to children's bullying victimization, including the role of barriers to healthcare access in this association using a nationally representative sample. Design and Methods: The study utilizes the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health, a survey of a cross‐sectional, weighted probability sample of US children (ages 0–17 years) living in 50 states and the District of Columbia, and their caregivers. The sample used for the current study included 14,374 racially and ethnically diverse caregivers of children, aged 6–11 years. Results: Positive significant associations between family financial struggle and children's bullying victimization, and between financial struggle and barriers to healthcare access were found. Barriers to healthcare access mediated the association between family financial struggle and bullying victimization. Practice Implications: Given the documented effects of bullying victimization on children, findings point to the importance of developing psychotherapeutic practices that are appropriate for children who are flagged as "high‐risk." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines whether positive future orientation might buffer the association between peer victimization and adverse outcomes from a sample of urban African American adolescents. More specifically, it was hypothesized that peer victimization would be significantly associated with internalizing problems, a decline in school grade, substance use, peer aggression, and suicidal thoughts. It was also hypothesized that positive future orientation would moderate the link between peer victimization and these outcomes. Cross-sectional research was conducted in Chicago's Southside, and the study comprised a sample of 638 African American adolescents, ages 13 to 24. Analyses for the study consisted of descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, and ordinary least squares regression. Peer victimization was found to be directly associated with internalizing problems, peer aggression, and suicidal thoughts. Positive future orientation was also found to buffer the association between peer victimization and peer aggression and suicidal thoughts. It is important for researchers to identify protective psychological resources in the various high-risk neighborhood that can buffer the association between victimization and psychosocial problems. It is also imperative that victims of bullying are involved in programs that foster positive development and reduces the likelihood of psychosocial problems and problematic behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]