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The Role of Parental Distress in Moderating the Influence of Child Neglect on Maladjustment

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Abstract

Despite pervasive evidence of the harmful impact of neglect on children’s adjustment, individual differences in adaptation persist. This study examines parental distress as a contextual factor that may moderate the relation between neglect and child adjustment, while considering the specificity of the relation between neglect and internalizing versus externalizing problems. In a sample of 66 children (33 with a documented child protective services history of neglect prior to age six), neglect predicted internalizing, and to a lesser extent externalizing, problems as rated by teachers at age seven. Parental distress moderated the relation between neglect and internalizing, but not externalizing, problems. Specifically, higher levels of neglect predicted more internalizing problems only among children of distressed parents. These findings indicate that parent-level variables are important to consider in evaluating the consequences of neglect, and point to the importance of considering contextual factors when identifying those children most at risk following neglect.

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Acknowledgments

Preparation of this work was supported by a National Research Service Award (F31MH092060) awarded to the first author by the National Institute of Mental Health. Data collection was supported by federal Grants MH064473 and DA1153/MH56751 (Michael Lewis, P.I.). We acknowledge the cooperation of the Department of Human Services (Philadelphia) and the Division of Youth and Family Services (New Jersey State Department of Children and Families) for assistance with screening participants. We also thank Lola Clarke for exceptional professional dedication as family coordinator, and the research teams at DUCOM and RWJMS for data collection and preparation.

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of California, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    Sara R. Berzenski

  2. Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    David S. Bennett

  3. University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA

    Victoria A. Marini

  4. Rutgers—School of Nursing, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Margaret Wolan Sullivan

  5. Rutgers—Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Michael Lewis

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  1. Sara R. Berzenski
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Correspondence to Sara R. Berzenski.

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Berzenski, S.R., Bennett, D.S., Marini, V.A. et al. The Role of Parental Distress in Moderating the Influence of Child Neglect on Maladjustment. J Child Fam Stud 23, 1325–1336 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9791-5

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