Correlates of Optimal Behavior Among Child Welfare-Involved Children: Perceived School Peer Connectedness, Activity Participation, Social Skills, and Peer Affiliation Darcey H. Merritt New York University Susan M. Snyder Georgia State University Understanding the association between children’s behaviors and their perceptions regarding the quality of school friendships is useful for intervention strategies focusing on the interpersonal networks of children involved with the child welfare system. Rarely are measures of the strength of peer relationships assessed as a protective factor for maltreated children in the context of understanding their behaviors. This research investigates the link between these youth’s ex- pressed relational experiences and nonproblematic behavior. Analyses were conducted on 1,054 children (ages 11–17) from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II (NSCAW II) dataset. Utilizing a factored measure of perceived school friend connectedness, children’s behaviors were predicted using Generalized Ordered Logistic regression analyses. Results demonstrated stronger school friend connectedness is a protective factor in that, children who perceive strong peer connections at school are more likely to classify below the problem behavior threshold than those with weaker peer connections. Further, children with increased social skills; fewer deviant peer affiliations; and those who take responsibility in part-time jobs and chores are more likely to display normative behaviors. Compared with all other types of maltreatment, physically abused children are significantly less likely to display behaviors below the problem range. Moreover, physical abuse has a negative impact on the protective nature of strong peer connections. Attention should be given to supporting children’s perceived positive friendships, developing social skills, and encouraging participation in part-time jobs (e.g., babysitting, paper routes) as protective factors associated with nonproblematic behaviors, rather than problematic behaviors. Implications for service delivery are discussed. R esearch often fails to consider the importance of assessing children’s experiential sense of belonging and peer connect- edness in school settings as possible mitigating factors of positive behavior. The work of practitioners has been to focus treat- ment on decreasing risk factors, rather than adopting a positive lens with consideration of both protective factors and the absence of risk factors, an approach suitable to assess and encourage normative behavioral outcomes. This study presents a predictive account of a construct measuring perceived peer connectedness, and a meaningful host of accompanying covariates, which may characterize potential protective factors related to levels of behavior. Maltreated youth face a myriad of issues associated with their capacity for resiliency (Afifi & MacMillan, 2011), which likely impacts their ability to display nonproblematic behavior. Trauma informed research regarding chil- dren is enhanced with the inclusion of accounts of perceived inter- personal processes in context, including the quality of peer relation- ships and strength of connectedness. Child welfare-involved youth are often managing a host of feelings and faced with behavioral decision-making usually impacted by their immediate interpersonal relationships and environments. It is imper- ative to consider the child’s perspective in service and treatment plan implementation (Merritt & Franke, 2009). Children’s interactions with others can be reported on from a host of adults; however, these reports may be in conflict with the expressed experiences and beliefs of the child, those more likely to guide a child’s behavior. Adoles- cence is a crucial time in a child’s life when youth are increasingly less reliant on the adults in their lives and more likely influenced by their peer groups in meso settings. This work assesses perceived positive school friendships as a predictor of nonproblematic behavior outcomes. Whereas, Afifi and MacMillan (2011) present a thorough liter- ature review concerning the impact of protective factors on child Darcey H. Merritt, Silver School of Social Work, New York University; Susan M. Snyder, School of Social Work, Georgia State University. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Darcey H. Merritt, Silver School of Social Work, New York University, 1 Wash- ington Square North, Office #316, New York, NY 10003. E-mail: darcey.merritt@nyu.edu This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry © 2015 American Orthopsychiatric Association 2015, Vol. 85, No. 5, 483– 494 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ort0000091 483