Annotated Bibliography
Archer, G., Pinto Pereira, S., & Power, C. (2017). Child maltreatment as a predictor of adult physical functioning in a prospective British birth cohort. BMJ Open, 7(10), e017900. Web.
The study examines the direct relationship between childhood trauma and the character of physical functioning long into adulthood on the basis of the British cohort – following the participants from the 1950s to 2000s. The current study holds extreme value for further research because of the amount of data collected over 50 years of ongoing monitoring of the cohort – and a range of information sources. The aim of the research was to identify whether or not poor physical functioning was associated with maltreatment experienced in childhood and whether it was independent of other factors. This research established that physical and sexual abuse altered the physical condition of participants and that the combination of different types of abuse resulted in a significant increase of deterioration of physical functioning.
Bolton, J., Molet, J., Ivy, A., & Baram, T. Z. (2017). New insights into early-life stress and behavioral outcomes. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 14, 133-139.
The present study aims to understand the mechanisms behind the long-lasting consequences of early-life stress exposure. The researchers accomplish that by comparing the results of a number of cognitive and emotional tests conducted on rodents, modeled after human maltreatment or neglect. Some of the results were unexpected: as varying postnatal days when practicing maternal separation (MS) mattered significantly for the outcome it produced on the neurological structure of the pup. Another one, the forced swim test (FST), showed great results as to exposing memory impairment being strongly associated with early-life stress.
Buckingham, E. T., & Daniolos, P. (2013). Longitudinal Outcomes for Victims of Child Abuse. Current Psychiatry Reports, 15(2). Web.
The study provides additional coverage for the topic – long-term consequences of maltreatment of children. Aside from that, in this review, the authors offer potential psychiatric intervention strategies for the maltreated individuals. Authors explore the trajectories of mental disorders development, substance abuse, and chronic physical conditions and their probability in maltreated people. There is strong evidence for MDD and PTSD development as a result of childhood abuse established in this research, as well as reactive attachment disorder (RAS), a less common disease. In the end, possible intervention strategies are discussed: authors are first believers in the fact that every case is unique, and therefore, a clinician should design a treatment for each individual patient. However, they still give two possible ways that can be combined, when necessary: psychiatry and pharmacological treatment.
Carr, A., Duff, H., & Craddock, F. (2018). A Systematic Review of the Outcome of Child Abuse in Long-Term Care. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 152483801878915. Web.
This piece of research is an impressive systematic review covering a big set of data from ten different databases. Its primary aim was to evaluate the coverage of a narrower topic in the scholarly conversation about child abuse – maltreatment in long-term care that could be just as crippling as one at home. The findings include an obvious connection between mental health conditions in adulthood and childhood adverse experiences, with a similar situation with psychosocial factors. The value of this particular review is in its wide coverage of reviewed studies, as well as a constructive critique of this batch of previous research.
Clemens, V., Berthold, O., Witt, A., Sachser, C., Brähler, E., Plener, P. L. & Fegert, J. M. (2019). Child maltreatment is mediating long-term consequences of household dysfunction in a population representative sample. European Psychiatry, 58, 10–18. Web.
This research is an assessment of whether various forms of household dysfunction such as parental substance abuse, mental disorders, violence against the mother, and incarceration of a family member mediate child maltreatment. Moreover, the study is aimed at examining if these dysfunctions produce further mental and physical health complications for the child later in life. As a result, a direct link between household dysfunction, child maltreatment, and future negative consequences on the child’s health was found.
Crum, K. I., & Moreland, A. D. (2017). Parental stress and children’s social and behavioral outcomes: The role of abuse potential over time. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(11), 3067-3078. Web.
The study explores the paradigm of parental stress and its direct influence on the child’s psychological and physical development due to maltreatment often being subsequent to parental stress. It explores connections between parental stress and abuse potential through panel analysis of self-reports and after therapeutic intervention. The results showed that parental stress and anxiety/withdrawal were indeed interconnected. However, for instance, child aggression was independent of abuse potential and parental stress. Thus, the study sheds light on many individual associations between distinct behavioral deviations and parental abuse potential.
Currie, J., & Widom, C. (2010). Long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect on adult economic well-being. Child Maltreatment, 15(2), 111–120. Web.
This study explores the quality of economic aspects of the subjects of childhood maltreatment who are in their adulthood. The authors suggest an idea that previously experienced childhood adversity may lead the individuals to be less likely to pursue higher education levels or a skillful job and overall economic security. It proves the hypothetical suggestion that people with a history of maltreatment are less likely to establish a sufficient economic future for themselves. The research also finds differences in gender in the severity of the effect of childhood maltreatment: women tend to be more deeply affected than men.
Dannlowski U., Stuhrmann A., Beutelmann, V., Zanzger., P., Lenzen T, Grotegerd D., Domschke K., Hohoff, C, Ohrmann P., Bauer J., Lindner C., Postert C, Konrad C., Arolt V, Heindel, W., Suslow T., & Kugel H. (2012.) Limbic scars: Long-term consequences of childhood maltreatment revealed by functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging. Biological Psychiatry, 71(4), 286-293. Web.
This study focuses specifically on the problem of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression development as a result of experienced childhood adversity and maltreatment. To examine the neurological effects of childhood maltreatment, the researchers conducted a brain screening during a test in order to locate abnormalities in the brain structure, as well as Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) to identify their experiences. The abnormalities include a general decrease in gray matter mass and a positive response in the amygdala during the functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) test. As a result, the study was able to locate a direct influence of childhood trauma on the later development of psychiatric disorders, such as depressive states and PTSD later in life.
Esparza-Del Villar, O. A., Montanez-Alvarado, P., Gutierrez-Vega, M., Quinones-Rodriguez, S., & Gutierrez-Rosado, T. (2020). Past Child Abuse and Neglect in Adults from Northern Mexico: Development of a Scale and Prevalence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 088626052094372. Web.
Here the researchers focused particularly on the development of a convenient scale that could be utilized to measure childhood maltreatment and neglect effects in adults. The scale was developed for the purpose of this study and proved to be useful, as it showed a number of long-term mental and physical outcomes to be connected to the factors accessed by the model. The results of the study were not predictable: they showed the North-Mexican cohort to have a higher than global average rate of childhood maltreatment.
Godinet, M. T., Li, F., & Berg, T. (2014). Early childhood maltreatment and trajectories of behavioral problems: Exploring gender and racial differences. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38(3), 544–556.
This research paper centers on examining the trajectories of child maltreatment, whether or not early childhood maltreatment (before the age of four) affected the long-term behavioral deviations. The study also examines the role of gender and ethnicity in the rates of reported cases of child maltreatment and their long-term consequences. Godinet is a credible author and a professor at the University of Hawaii and has conducted numerous studies in the field of Sociology concerning the representation of Pacific Islanders and child welfare. The current study found a direct link between gender and the appearance of earlier internalizing problems among female children; boys were associated with externalizing problem behavior. Race was also found to be affecting the results, with African-Americans being the most affected racial group. Thus, the study is very closely related to the topic of discussion and can be considered very relevant.
Johnson, R. M., Kotsh, J. B., Catllier, D.J., Winsor, J. R., Dufort, V., Hunter, W., & Jackson, L. A. (2002). Adverse behavioral and emotional outcomes from child abuse and witnessed violence. Child Maltreatment, 7(3), pp. 179-186. Web.
The research differs from the others in the scale that it views the problem of childhood maltreatment – it explores the boundaries of factors that affect the child’s psychological development when witnessed on a regular basis. These include neighborhood violence, such as the child witnessing arrests or fighting, and household violence – such as abuse towards to mother. Due to these factors, child victimization becomes a much greater possibility. Having studied child self-reports as well as caregiver reports, the research team was able to locate the direct link between early experiences of violence along with maltreatment with later developing mental and social deviations.
Johnson, E. J., & James, C. (2016). Effects of child abuse and neglect on adult survivors. Early Child Development and Care, 186(11), 1836–1845. Web.
The focus of this study is on the emotional aspect of childhood maltreatment (CM) and the types of abuse associated with affecting the victim’s emotional well-being. It explores the long-term effects: the development of various mental and physiological conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, poor aggression management, eating disorders, and suicidal tendencies. Qualitative methods were used during the process of data extraction. In a case study, a 26-year-old man was also analyzed during a series of interviews, which allows the reader to see the problem at hand. During these sessions, cognitive-behavioral therapy was utilized to gain a deeper understanding. The results presented by this study identify possible models for successful intervention for adults affected by CM.
Lee, R. D., & Chen, J. (2017). Adverse childhood experiences, mental health, and excessive alcohol use: Examination of race/ethnicity and sex differences. Child Abuse & Neglect, 69, 40-48.
The topic studied in this paper is even narrower than the previously mentioned studies concerning a particular problem or demographic. Here, Lee examines and evaluates the connection between alcohol abuse and previous early maltreatment. The findings include similar results in all groups under discussion, all genders and all ethnic groups show similar behaviors (with the exception of binge drinking). However, the research confirmed the trend that the female population is greatly affected by the incidences of abuse at an early age compared to the male population. However, in the course of the study, researchers uncovered some unanticipated results as well – that race and ethnicity were, in fact, contributing to the problematic behavior of binge and heavy drinking. Therefore, the study could be helpful in establishing new connections between childhood maltreatment experiences and the cultural reference of an individual. Lee can also be considered to be a reliable author, with several publications in the field of disease prevention and control. This research paper could prove to help provide instances of deviant behavior consequent to childhood trauma, which is one of the main questions of the current research.
Lewis, T., McElroy, E., Harlaar, N., & Runyan, D. (2016). Does the impact of child sexual abuse differ from maltreated but non-sexually abused children? A prospective examination of the impact of child sexual abuse on internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Child Abuse & Neglect, 51, 31-40.
This study was mainly concerned with comparing the long-term outcomes and consequences of children who experienced sexual abuse before the age of 18 and those who did not. The researchers also explored the affiliation of further behavioral complications with the gender of the victimized child, which makes this study partly relevant to our present research. It deals with a more specific topic; however, the researchers compare findings from groups of children with a history of CSA and without one but who still experienced maltreatment, which is particularly interesting. The result shows a growing trend for sexually abused girls to increase internalizing problems with age, the pattern that does not occur so much with boys.
Lueger-Schuster, B., Knefel, M., Gluck, T. M., Jagsch, R., Kantor, V., & Weindl, D. (2018). Child abuse and neglect in institutional settings, cumulative lifetime traumatization, and psychopathological long-term correlates in adult survivors: The Vienna Institutional Abuse Study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 76, 488–501.
The research tackles an infrequently studied problem of child maltreatment occurring in foster care. In this cohort study, two groups of individuals were compared: one that was raised in foster care, as the study showed, experienced significantly more incidents of CM than the group that was raised in family homes. The researchers conclude that emotional abuse is the most detrimental to one’s mental health out of all known types of child abuse. This is the reason that makes the study particularly valuable for further research in the field.
Milojevich, H. M., Norwalk, K. E., & Sheridan, M. A. (2019). Deprivation and threat, emotion dysregulation, and psychopathology: Concurrent and longitudinal associations. Development and Psychopathology, 31(3), 847–857.
The prime points of focus of this study are the way certain kinds of child maltreatment alter the longitudinal strategies of emotional regulations in then-adults. It “tests a conceptual model that distinguishes deprivation and threat as distinct forms of exposure with different pathways in psychopathology” (Milojevich, 2019). Milojevich is a credible, prolific researcher and a professional scholar with multiple publications in the field. The present study finds the hypothesized link between the deprivation of children at a young age and subsequent avoidance mechanism of emotional regulation later on. Girls were more affected than boys, and White Americans were more frequent to report emotion dysregulation than African-Americans. Although the subject of this particular study is relatively narrow, it still covers all the topics of interest for further research, and therefore, is a valuable source.
Nakayama, M., Hori, H., Itoh, M., Lin, M., Niwa, M., Ino, K., Imai, R., Ogawa, S., Sekiguchi, A., Matsui, M., Kunugi, H., & Kim, Y. (2020). Possible Long-Term Effects of Childhood Maltreatment on Cognitive Function in Adult Women With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Frontiers in psychiatry, 11, 344. Web.
The problem that this research is concerned with is how PTSD – resulting from childhood maltreatment, — affects cognition in adults and whether or not this factor acts independently of others. The results showed an interesting dynamic: individuals with a history of CM but did not develop PTSD were not impaired cognitively in any way. While those with PTSD experienced significant failures in quick and long-term memory, learning capabilities, language-related skills, and had problems with attention. Thus, it is established that PTSD acts as an independent factor in promoting cognitive dysfunctions in adults who experienced CM.
Nemeroff, C. B. (2016). Paradise lost: the neurobiological and clinical consequences of child abuse and neglect. Neuron, 89(5), 892-909.
The researcher in this review describes the effects of early maltreatment on neurobiological, endocrine, and various other systems in human biological structure. This study is relatively affiliated with the question of interest for our further research, despite the fact that it covers an entirely different area of complexities that arise consequent to child abuse. Nemeroff, being an experienced psychiatrist, still shows excellent expertise in this paper. A number of various aspects are covered by this research – from Genetics and Neurobiological complications at forming new brain patterns in patients with a history of abuse in their childhood to inadequate response to treatment in patients with depression or anxiety.
Norman R.E., Byambaa M., De R., Butchart A., Scott J., Vos T. (2012). The long-term health consequences of child physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Med, 9, 11. Web.
This comprehensive study is remarkable in its width of subject matter. The researchers are examining a range of outcomes of child maltreatment – spanning from mental health problems to physical health damage, suicidal tendencies, and even inclination towards sexual risky behavior and prevalence of STIs among the studied demographic. The research covers topics not found anywhere else in the chosen references – along with earlier discussed ones, like substance abuse and mental health disorders after early exposure to various types of maltreatment. The results varied in prospective studies versus retrospective, thus providing quite unexpected findings. Many products coincided with the ones from other studies, which proves their legibility. The only thing research does not touch upon is the relationship between gender and race and childhood adversity experiences.
Odhayani, A. A., Watson, W. J., & Watson, L. (2013). Behavioral consequences of child abuse. Canadian Family Physician, 59(8), 831-836.
This article sums up an excessive number of studies that have been done on childhood maltreatment and abuse, additionally revealing the behavioral consequences that follow. The study poses itself as a guide for clinicians to be able to recognize the signs that child exhibits that indicate different forms of maltreatment – physical, emotional, sexual, and neglect. Summing up the findings of various researchers as well as using databases, the study confirms an undeniable influence of maltreatment on the later development and life of a child, affecting nearly every aspect of it.
Papalia, N. L., Luebbers, S., Ogloff, J. R., Cutajar, M., & Mullen, P. E. (2016). The long-term co-occurrence of psychiatric illness and behavioral problems following child sexual abuse. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 51(6), 604–613. Web.
The present research covers a scarcely-studied topic of co-occurrence of criminal and anti-social behavior and psychiatric disorders in individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment. The hypothesis was confirmed: people who experienced maltreatment were more inclined to indulge in deviant activities, such as crimes, and at the same time, constituted a higher percentage among psychiatrically ill. The study is valuable due to the fact that it covers a niche topic.
Scheuer S., Wiggert N., Brückl T.M., Awaloff Y., Uhr M., Lucae S., Kloiber S., Holsboer F., Ising M., Wilhelm F.H. (2018). Childhood abuse and depression in adulthood: The mediating role of allostatic load. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 94, 134-142.
The study is focused on a concept of allostatic load – a number of physical factors characteristic of physical deterioration or dysfunction; and the way it is mediated by childhood maltreatment. During the process of the research, it became known that sexual and physical abuse were the prime factors for altering the future allostatic load rates for the worse, other types being not so significant. The effects typically showed during young adulthood and middle age, while older subjects were not so inclined to the influence. The study establishes an important connection between physical wealth and traumatic childhood experiences, drawing a straight line – although the results proved not to be obvious.
Sheats, K. J., Irving, S. M., Mercy, J. A., Simon, T. R., Crosby, A. E., Ford, D. C., Merrick, M. T., Annor, F. B., & Morgan, R. E. Debowska, A., & Boduszek, D. (2017). Child abuse and neglect profiles and their psychosocial consequences in a large sample of incarcerated males. Child Abuse & Neglect, 65, 266-277.
The particular problem that this research address is still the one directly related to the main topic of discussion – that is, the way exposure to abuse in early life affects the development of deviancies in an individual later in life. Having said that, what this research does not cover is the link between gender and racial affiliations and rates of child abuse in relation to these social groups. Instead, this study focuses on analyzing the numbers of experienced child abuse among the high-risk population, particularly incarcerated males. Debowska can be considered a trustful source, as her scholarship is concerned with studying violent behavior aimed at children and women. However, it is suitable to say that there are other instances of more relevant research studies on this list that provide a bigger picture of the problem at hand.
Strathearn, L., Giannotti, M., Millis, R., Kisely, S., Najman, J., & Abajobir, A. (2020). Long-term cognitive, psychological, and health outcomes associated with child abuse and neglect. Pediatrics, 146(4), 1-17. Web.
The aim of this article is to analyze cohort data from the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy in order to distinguish what maltreatment types produce specific outcomes. The researchers compared the data of 5,200 children from 14 to 21 with a recorded history of abuse. They found that psychological maltreatment, either physical or emotional, had the biggest number of deviances later in life. Sexual abuse resulted in depression, PTSD, and early sexual activity, while emotional abuse “revealed increased odds of psychosis” as well as substance abuse. Other findings include cognitive delays and difficulties in learning new information. In conclusion, the present study does not establish direct causality but finds neurological deviances that are linked to early-life stress.
Taylor J., Bradbury-Jones C., Lazenbatt A. & Soliman F. (2016). Child maltreatment: Pathway to chronic and long-term conditions? Journal of Public Health, 38(3), 426–431. Web.
This paper gives a broad overview of the problem of child maltreatment worldwide while also examining it from a variety of angles. Among them is the economic impact it makes on a single household as well as society, public health effects – both mental and physical. The article also outlines the preventive measures needed to be applied to society in order to provide everyone with an opportunity to maintain better health and to battle the inhumane behavioral instances such as various types of cruelty against children.
Vachon, D. D., Krueger, R. F., Rogosch F. A., & Cicchetti, D. (2015). Different forms of child maltreatment have comparable consequences among children from low-income families. JAMA Psychiatry, 72(11), 1135–1142. Web.
This unique study offers an alternative outlook on the long-term effects of experienced childhood maltreatment. The authors compared their findings in order to identify whether the effect of trauma differed depending on the gender of the victim and the type of maltreatment experienced. Instead, they found that all types of childhood mistreatment have equal outcomes across genders. The researchers also concluded that maltreatment alters two broad behavioral types – internalizing and externalizing ones. In the treatment of childhood adversity consequences, broader therapy styles aimed at preventing long-term neurological changes work better than the ones aimed at the results of a specific type of abuse.
Widom, C. S., Czaja, S., Wilson, H. W., Allwood, M., & Chauhan, P. (2012). Do the Long-Term Consequences of Neglect Differ for Children of Different Races and Ethnic Backgrounds? Child Maltreatment, 18(1), 42–55. Web.
The research paper examines very closely related subjects as most of the studies on this list – consequences spanning into adulthood in individuals with an experience of childhood adversity. The parameters studied include unique features, for example, evaluation of IQ in affected individuals and comparing them in regards to their ethnicity. Other parameters include reading ability, occupation, mental health consequences, and criminal and violent behavior, the results showing exciting differences in IQ rates among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. Widom has a unique perspective on the topic as a scholar since her expertise lies in the adjacent field – criminology, but is closely related to the topic of violence, which includes violence against minors. Overall, the study provides detailed information on a variety of mental diagnoses, comparative statistics for mental disorder rates and juvenile activities for the major ethnicity groups, as well as family characteristics that clarify the potential reasons for child maltreatment.
Yampolskaya, S., Chuang, E., & Walker, C. (2019). Trajectories of substance use among child welfare-involved youth: Longitudinal associations with child maltreatment history and emotional/behavior problems. Substance Use & Misuse, 54(3), 437–448.
This study focuses on the link between maltreatment and further substance abuse in the case of adults who experienced it in their childhood. The research also points out the behavioral and emotional factors that majorly contribute to the prospect of substance abuse among youth involved in the child welfare system. This research explores yet another aspect of the consequences of early maltreatment. However, it does not speak of gender and/or racial factors. It draws a strong connection between substance abuse among the individuals who experienced maltreatment, neglect, or other forms of abuse early in life, which is beneficial to the current research. Yampolskaya presents herself as a reliable source, with a long history of research explicitly targeted at child abuse and its complications and consequences. Thus, even though this paper exemplifies another narrower-demographic study, it provides valuable information about substance abuse and child maltreatment, proving beneficial for the research, as this particular aspect has not been covered previously.
Young, J. C., & Widom, C. S. (2014). Long-term effects of child abuse and neglect on emotion processing in adulthood. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38(8), 1369–1381.
Here, the research is focused on emotion processing abilities, the development of various psychopathologies, and the IQ rate in adults, and how these factors are mediated by previously experienced childhood abuse. One notable feature of this research can be the usage of the International Affective Picture System to assess the cohort groups’ quality of emotion recognition. Maltreated adults, as hypothesized, had less accuracy in recognizing emotions; however, unexpected findings include that IQ score was mediating the relationship between maltreatment and emotion processing.