Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Child Abuse & Neglect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/chiabuneg Research article Familial financial stress and child internalizing behaviors: The roles of caregivers’ maltreating behaviors and social services Yuerong Liu ⁎ , Darcey H. Merritt New York University, Silver School of Social Work, United States ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Financial stress Internalizing behavior Family stress model Maltreatment Social service ABSTRACT Based on the family stress model and the stress-buffering model, the present study examines the relationship between caregivers’ financial stress and child internalizing problem behaviors, the mediating role of caregiver maltreating behaviors, and whether social services for caregivers buffer this relationship. The current study is based on data from wave two of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being dataset (N = 2670). Results indicated increased high familial financial stress was associated with child internalizing problems. Caregivers’ psychological ag- gression, physical assault, child neglect, and sexual maltreatment emerged as mechanisms mediating this relationship. Tangible service and social network service were found to mitigate the deleterious effect of financial stress on child internalizing behaviors, but primarily for those whom financial stress was high. These findings highlight the role perceived financial stress has on potential maltreatment and child outcomes, rather than relying on objective measures of eco- nomic status. Implications for social services focused interventions for children and caregivers coping with high levels of perceived financial stress are discussed. 1. Introduction Child internalizing disorders are among the most frequently diagnosed chronic childhood psychological disorders (Kovacs & Devlin, 1998; Twenge & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2002). Two significant factors that influence children and adolescents’ internalizing behaviors include the lived experiences of income inequality among families (Reiss, 2013; Slopen, Fitzmaurice, Williams, & Gilman, 2010), coupled with distressed family environments, characterized by family conflict and suboptimal parenting practices (Crawford, Schrock, & Woodruff-Borden, 2011; Moylan et al., 2010; Teubert & Pinquart, 2010). We apply the family stress model (FSM; Conger, Conger, & Martin, 2010; Conger, Ge, Elder, Lorenz, & Simons, 1994) based on the premise that the family setting, particularly parental financial stress and suboptimal parenting behaviors are risk indicators of family dysfunction resulting in poor child mental health and behavioral outcomes (Rapee, Schniering, & Hudson, 2009). This study also draws from the stress-buffering model (Cohen & Wills, 1985) positing social support as a buffer on the impact of life stressors on an individual’s well-being. The present study tests a comprehensive model that assesses parental maltreating behavior as a mediator between perceived financial stress and child in- ternalizing problems. Additionally, we assess social service as a potential mitigating factor that serves to decrease the deleterious impact of financial stress on child internalizing problems. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.09.002 Received 28 January 2018; Received in revised form 11 July 2018; Accepted 7 September 2018 ⁎ Corresponding author at: New York University, Silver School of Social Work, 1 Washington Square N, New York, NY 10003, United States. E-mail address: yuerong.liu@nyu.edu (Y. Liu). Child Abuse & Neglect xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx 0145-2134/ © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Please cite this article as: Liu, Y., Child Abuse & Neglect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.09.002