Title:
The relation between abuse and externalizing and internalizing problems in an inpatient sample of children and adolescents: the moderating role of cohesion and conflict in the family environment
Author:
Amanda B. Federline
Thesis Advisor:
Jeffrey Lating
Committee Member:
Beth A. Kotchick
Committee Member:
Martin Sherman
Committee Member:
James Buckley
Committee Member:
Marco Grados
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2014
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
Children and adolescents who experience physical or sexual abuse develop psychopathology, specifically externalizing and internalizing problems, at higher rates than their peers, but resilience factors that prevent adverse outcomes are not well understood (Oshri, Rogosch, and Cicchetti, 2013). Therefore, potential mitigating factors for the development of psychopathology, in the context of childhood abuse, require further study. Past research has demonstrated that family environments high in conflict are a risk factor for developing internalizing and externalizing problems (Morgan, Robinson, and Aldridge, 2002). More specifically, high family cohesion and low family conflict may be mitigating factors in the development of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children who experience abuse (George, Herman, and Ostrander, 2006). Not surprisingly, children and adolescents requiring inpatient services often exhibit high rates of childhood abuse, family dysfunction, and externalizing and internalizing problems (Tonge, Hughes, Pullen, Beaufoy, and Gold, 2008). Therefore, a pediatric inpatient cohort is a paradigmatic sample in which to examine the relations among childhood abuse, family function and psychopathology outcomes. Conflict within the family and experiencing abuse were both found to significantly predict higher levels of externalizing problems. This study also found gender findings that linked male patients with higher levels of externalizing problems and female patients with higher levels of internalizing problems. Lastly, this study found evidence for a moderating effect of family conflict, such that an abuse history was found to significantly predict internalizing problems only when there was higher conflict in the family. The current results underscore the importance of explicitly screening and assessing for abuse and family environment characteristics and working to mitigate the impact of abuse and family conflict through relevant treatment interventions with children and adolescents in inpatient settings.
Subject:
Electronic dissertations
Degree:
Master of Science
Level:
Master
Discipline:
Clinical Psychology
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online to Loyola Notre Dame Library basic constituency.
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Identifier:
FederlineAB-06
