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- Maltreatment experiences and psychopathology in children and adolescents: The intervening role of domain-specific self-representations moderated by agePublication . Silva, Carla; Calheros, M. M.Background: Associations between maltreatment experiences and psychopathology symptoms in children and adolescents are well established. However, the role of domain-specific self-representations (SR) in those associations remains unexplored. Objective: This multi-informant study aimed to explore the indirect associations between maltreatment experiences and children’s and adolescents’ psychopathology symptoms (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems), through domain-specific self-representations, and the moderating role of age in those indirect associations. Participants and setting: Participants were 203 children/adolescents (52.7 % boys), aged 8–16 years old (M = 12.64; SD = 2.47), referred to child/youth protection commissions, their parents, and case workers. Method: Case workers reported on child/adolescent maltreatment, children/adolescents reported on SR, and parents reported on psychopathology symptoms. Results: Controlling for chronicity of maltreatment and child/adolescent sex effects, multiple mediation path analysis revealed that: 1) higher levels of physical and psychological abuse were associated with less externalizing problems through more negative social SR; 2) higher levels of physical neglect were associated with more externalizing problems through more positive opposition SR; 3) higher levels of psychological neglect were associated with less externalizing problems through more negative physical appearance SR, and 4) associated with more externalizing problems through more negative opposition SR. Moreover, the indirect effects of physical and psychological abuse on internalizing and externalizing problems through instrumental SR were conditional on child/adolescent age. Conclusion: Findings signal the relevance of preventing child/adolescent maltreatment and promoting the construction of positive and, foremost, realistic and adaptive self-representations as protection against maladjustment.
- Maltreatment experiences and psychopathology in children and adolescents: The intervening role of domain-specific self-representations moderated by agePublication . Silva, Carla; Calheros, M. M.Background:Associations between maltreatment experiences and psychopathology symptoms inchildren and adolescents are well established. However, the role of domain-specific self-re-presentations (SR) in those associations remains unexplored.Objective:This multi-informant study aimed to explore the indirect associations between mal-treatment experiences and children’s and adolescents’psychopathology symptoms (i.e., inter-nalizing and externalizing problems), through domain-specific self-representations, and themoderating role of age in those indirect associations.Participants and setting:Participants were 203 children/adolescents (52.7 % boys), aged 8–16years old (M= 12.64;SD= 2.47), referred to child/youth protection commissions, their parents,and case workers.Method:Case workers reported on child/adolescent maltreatment, children/adolescents reportedon SR, and parents reported on psychopathology symptoms.Results:Controlling for chronicity of maltreatment and child/adolescent sex effects, multiplemediation path analysis revealed that: 1) higher levels of physical and psychological abuse wereassociated with less externalizing problems through more negative social SR; 2) higher levels ofphysical neglect were associated with more externalizing problems through more positive op-position SR; 3) higher levels of psychological neglect were associated with less externalizingproblems through more negative physical appearance SR, and 4) associated with more ex-ternalizing problems through more negative opposition SR. Moreover, the indirect effects ofphysical and psychological abuse on internalizing and externalizing problems through instru-mental SR were conditional on child/adolescent age.Conclusion:Findings signal the relevance of preventing child/adolescent maltreatment andpromoting the construction of positive and, foremost, realistic and adaptive self-representationsas protection against maladjustment.
- "(I Think) My Mother Thinks I Am, Therefore I Am". The Looking-glass Self in Maltreated Children and AdolescentsPublication . Silva, Carla; Calheros, M. M.Children and adolescents with maltreatment experiences show worse representations of themselves, as compared to their nonmaltreated counterparts. According to the looking-glass self hypothesis (LGSH), individuals’ self-representations (SR) stem from interactions with significant others, reflecting associations between what significant others think of them (i.e., actual appraisals), individuals’ perceptions of significant others’ appraisals of them (i.e., reflected appraisals), and SR. However, little is known about the looking-glass self process in maltreated children and adolescents. This multi-informant study aimed to test the LGSH within the mother–child relationship with children and adolescents with maltreatment experiences. Specifically, including maltreatment experiences as copredictors, this study analyzed the mediating role of mothers’ reflected appraisals (MRA) in associations between mothers’ actual appraisals (MAA) and children/adolescents’ SR. Participants were 203 children/adolescents (52.5% boys), 8–16 years old (M = 12.6; SD = 2.49), assisted by children and youth protection committees (CYPC), their mother, and their CYPC case workers. Case workers reported on child/adolescent maltreatment, children/adolescents reported on SR and MRA, and mothers reported on MAA. A multiple mediation path analysis revealed significant mediation effects of MRA between MAA and child/adolescent SR in instrumental, social, emotional, intelligence, and opposition SR, thus supporting the LGSH in the context of child/adolescent maltreatment. Also, psychological neglect was associated to worse intelligence SR, mediated by intelligence reflected appraisals. Findings emphasize the importance of the role of MRA on maltreated children and adolescents’ SR construction process, and provide useful clues to incorporate in prevention and intervention strategies targeting maltreated children and adolescents.