Developmental Pathways from Child Abuse to Peer Rejection

아동학대 경험이 또래집단으로부터의 소외로 이어지는 발달경로

This study investigated developmental pathways mediating effects of child abuse on peer rejection. Participants were 904 poor children aged 10-15 from 16 nationwide cities/provinces who receive financial sponsorship from Childfund in cooperation with the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs. Structural equation modeling was employed for statistical analyses. Results showed that child abuse was directly associated with heightened risk of rejection by peers; the relationship was indirectly mediated by aggression and cognitive ability. The hypothesized partially mediated model had a better model fit than the fully mediated model. Aggression and low cognitive ability, significant effects of abuse, were associated with peer rejection. Social withdrawal, also associated with child abuse, did not account for the association between abuse and peer rejection.