The Role of Children’ s Appraisals on Adjustment Following Psychological Maltreatment: A Pilot Study Fiona J. Leeson & Reginald D. V. Nixon Published online: 14 April 2011 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011 Abstract Little is known about the cognitive mecha- nisms involved in the development of psychopathology following psychological maltreatment in children. This study therefore examined the role of thinking styles on children’ s outcomes following this subtype of maltreat- ment. Children who had experienced past maltreatment (n =24) and a control group (n =26) were assessed using self-report questionnaires. Maltreatment history, cognitive styles and psychological outcomes, such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and self-esteem were assessed. Parents/caregivers also completed a measure of child internalizing and externalizing behaviours. Psycholog- ical maltreatment made a significant contribution to children’ s self-reported depression and low self-esteem, and parent reported internalizing and externalizing problems, even after controlling for other abusive experiences. This was not the case for PTSD symptoms. Further, children’ s cognitive styles were associated with self-reported depression, self- esteem and PTSD. They did not, however, predict parent-rated emotional and behavioural problems. This study provides preliminary support for a cognitive model of adjustment following psychological maltreatment. The results indicate the need for enhanced community awareness about the impact of psychological maltreatment, and suggest a direction for therapeutic intervention. Keywords Psychological abuse . Emotional abuse . Child abuse . Cognitions . Psychopathology Introduction Child maltreatment is a serious problem worldwide. Accurate figures for its prevalence are difficult to derive however it is reported that maltreatment was substantiated in 10.6 per 1,000 children in the USA in 2007, with psychological maltreatment accounting for a significant proportion (4.2%) of these cases (US Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Children Youth and Families 2009). In Australia, there were 55,120 substanti- ated cases of child abuse and neglect between 2007–08, with psychological maltreatment accounting for 38% of these cases (Australian Institute for Health and Welfare: AIHW 2009). Whilst there is no doubt that childhood psychological maltreatment often leads to negative outcomes, research has lagged behind that of other forms of maltreatment. Specifically, research of the outcomes secondary to psychological maltreatment, or the mechanisms that mediate this type of maltreatment and psychopathology is still in its infancy. This is despite suggestions that psychological maltreatment could be considered the core component of all forms of child abuse (Hart et al. 2002). In contrast, the corresponding literature with other subtypes of maltreatment, in particular sexual abuse, is well developed and has substantially contributed to the formulation of evidence-based treatment programs. There- fore, a central goal of the present study was to examine whether certain cognitive styles in children who have experienced psychological maltreatment play a unique role in its association with problematic symptomatology once other maltreatment types are controlled. Numerous studies have demonstrated that maltreatment increases a child’ s risk of developing both internalizing F. J. Leeson : R. D. V. Nixon (*) School of Psychology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia e-mail: reg.nixon@flinders.edu.au J Abnorm Child Psychol (2011) 39:759–771 DOI 10.1007/s10802-011-9507-5