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Among findings of evaluation of the coping strategies of maltreated children (n=152) were that abused children and children both abused and neglected were difficult or compliant in interactions with their mothers, avoidant under stress, and aggressive with siblings; and that neglected children were cooperative in play with the mother, anxious under stress, and aggressive with siblings. (DB)

A sample of 175 maltreated children (mean age 51.9 months), 39 children in mental health treatment, and 176 normative children was assessed for type and severity of maltreatment. Results showed that psychological maltreatment was present in almost all cases of physical maltreatment and was more related to detrimental child outcome than was severity of injury. (Author/JDD)

Studied 82 maltreating and normative families to determine whether reported maltreated children and their siblings differ in terms of maltreatment and/or developmental anomalies. Findings indicated reported abused children and their siblings were similar in stressful life experiences, quality of home environment, reported behavior problems, and the experience of maltreatment. Discusses implications for treatment and social policy. (Author/PVV)

Children cope with maltreatment in a variety of ways. The age of the child and the type of maltreatment, whether abused, neglected, marginally maltreated or both abused and neglected, are factors that affect their coping strategies in adverse home environments. Children's coping strategies are also coherent, though not necessarily the same, across situations and relationships. These can range from cooperation, compulsive compliance, difficultness and passivity.

Difficulties in improving services for maltreated children can be attributed in part to misunderstanding of how the forces determining service availability and procedures operate. A case study of an attempt to modify one service delivery system is presented and analyzed in terms of social ecological theory. Recommendations are made for improving services to families, both directly and by means of system interventions.

Maltreating families are commonly believed to neglect or abuse a single child as a scapegoat. A family systems perspective, however, would suggest that dysfunction in one part of the family would be reflected in other parts. This study finds that reported abused children and their siblings are similar in stressful life experiences, quality of the home environment, reported behavior problems, and the experience of maltreatment. The implications for treatment and social policy are discussed.

Follow-up of 22 children for whom protective daycare was sought suggested that mandatory protective daycare had hastened,but not caused, the removal of children. It was hypothesized that reactions to the placement exacerbated the already strained mother-infant relationships, leading to increased abuse and neglect. (Author/CL)

Three hypotheses were investigated among 121 maltreating and adequate mother/child dyads: that (1) there would be qualitative differences in the supportiveness of mothers' networks; (2) differences would be related to differences in child attachment to mother; and (3) differences in mothers' approaches to relationships might have influenced their selection of networks. (RH)

Offers evidence supporting a model of bidirectional effects: the mother initiates maltreatment, but both mother and infant sustain the situation by their behaviors. Maltreated infants did not differ from controls in congenital characteristics, but displayed deviance in learned behavior patterns. Infants showed behavioral improvement after intervention with mothers. (Author/AS)

Knowledge is reviewed regarding the social/emotional, cognitive, and language development of maltreated preschool-aged children, and a set of child and family patterns of development is presented. Implications for classroom management are then discussed, focusing on disruptive behavior, interventions for cognitive and language development, and predictability and control. (JDD)

Qualitative differences in videotaped mother/infant interactions were found to differentiate four groups of mothers (abusing, neglecting, problematic, and adequate) based on the mothers' welfare service status. Infants were found to display three patterns of interaction: passive, cooperative, and difficult. The original investigation and a replication are reported. (Author/RH)