Development and Psychopathology, 6(1994), 121-143 Copyright © 1994 Cambridge University Press Printed in the United States of America The impact of subtype, frequency, chronicity, and severity of child maltreatment on social competence and behavior problems JODY TODD MANLY," DANTE CICCHETTI," AND DOUGLAS BARNETT* *Mt. Hope Family Center, University of Rochester; and b Wayne State University Abstract This investigation examined the impact of dimensions within maltreatment such as the severity, frequency, chronicity, and subtypes of maltreatment and their relationship with child outcome. Children between the ages of 5 and 11 who participated in a summer camp program were assessed on their social competence, behavior problems, and peers ratings of cooperation, disruption, and initiation of aggression. The 235 participants were all from low-socioeconomic status families; 14S children were from families with documented histories of child maltreatment, whereas 90 of the children had no record of maltreatment. The study found that severity of the maltreatment, the frequency of Child Protective Services reports, and the interaction between severity and frequency were significant predictors of children's functioning. Additionally, the chronicity of the maltreatment in the family significantly predicted peer ratings of aggression. Subtype differences emerged as well, with children in the sexual abuse group being more socially competent than other maltreated children, and children in the physical abuse group having more behavior problems than nonmaltreated children. Regression analyses with cooccurrence of multiple subtypes of maltreatment indicated that physical neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse made significant unique contributions in predicting child outcomes. The advantages of exploring multiple dimensions within maltreatment, the necessity of developing better operational definitions of these dimensions, and social policy implications of the findings are discussed. Between 1982 and 1991, the number of chil- 2.7 million children nationally in 1991 (Na- dren reported for alleged maltreatment tional Center for Child Abuse and Neglect, doubled, to 1.8 million reports involving 1993). There has been considerable interest in the short- and long-term impact that such incidents of maltreatment have on the de- We are fateful to the William T. Grant Foundation. , f h hiw h haye { _ the Smith-Richardson Foundation, Inc., and the *\ .... . . Spunk Fund, Inc., for their generous support of our enced chlld abuse and ne S lect (ClCChettl & work. We express our appreciation to the Monroe Carlson, 1989; Starr & Wolfe, 1991). Social County Department of Social Services, especially to scientists have employed empirical Studies Rose Briody, Velma Campbell, Paula Kittelberger, Di- t0 investigate the relationship between mal- ane Larter, JanReif Dan Ross, and Katherine Sosin. treatmem and child outcomef a n d t h c more We thank Kathleen Holt, Fred Rogosch, and Sheree ... , , . , i Toth for their technical and statistical expertise in sophisticated such research has become, the making recommendations for data analytic strategies, more complex the constructs and the rela- Finally, we are grateful for the help of Carolann Du- tionships that have emerged. There has bovsky, Jen Larter, Itza Morales, and the summer been increasing recognition that both mal- camp staff for their assistance in collecting the data. treatment and c h i l d d e V elopment are com- Address correspondence and reprint requests to: , .... , , , JodyToddManly.Mt.HopeFamilyCenter, 187Edin- P lex » multidimensional constructs, and the burgh St., Rochester, NY 14608. search for simple cause and effect models 121