Psychological Maltreatment as a Moderator for Physical Abuse and Adolescent Maladjustment: Implications for Treatment and Intervention

Abstract

Previous research has documented the negative impact of parental physical abuse on adolescent maladjustment. Many studies have demonstrated the negative impact of psychological maltreatment on adolescent maladjustment, even after controlling for the effects of parental physical abuse. The current study examined whether knowing that a child has been both physically abused and received higher levels of parental psychological maltreatment increases the prediction of adolescent maladjustment. Findings suggest that knowing the level of psychological maltreatment alone was necessary in predicting adolescent maladjustment, regardless of whether a child was physically abused. Implications for intervention and treatment of physically abused adolescents are discussed. An argument is made for the use of Metalization-based Treatment (MBT) in the treatment of physically abused adolescents.