1/18/2024 0 Comments Anger issues in children testParticipants were 1019 parents and guardians of children who visited our laboratory to participate in one of 39 child development studies from 2000 to 2017 (see Supplementary Materials for participant recruitment and exclusions). Here, we sought to answer one fundamental question: Is there evidence to support the claim that children who are developing in abusive families are exposed to more frequent and/or more severe expressions of anger? To address this question, we collected data about anger expression from parents and guardians whose children participated in a variety of child development studies. In addition, anger expression has been correlated with child abuse potential ( Rodriguez and Green, 1997 Rodriguez, 2010). Even accounts that focus directly on specific aspects of abusive parenting – such as deficits in self-control and problem-solving skills – had to assume high levels of familial anger ( Azar et al., 1984 Cowell et al., 2015). For example, that physically abused children discriminate between emotions differently than neglected or non-maltreated children is thought to result from exposure to an environment rich in emotional threat cues ( Pollak et al., 2000). For example, empirical studies drawn from a variety of foci such as social learning ( Larrance and Twentyman, 1983 Bousha and Twentyman, 1984), perceptual learning ( Pollak et al., 1997, 2001), emotion socialization ( Perlman et al., 2008), attachment ( Dozier et al., 2008), trauma ( Briggs-Gowan et al., 2012, 2019), and gene × environment effects ( Jaffee and Price, 2007) imply that their results are due, in part, to abused children’s exposure to high levels of anger. Many of the major theoretical accounts about the etiology of problems linked to abuse take high levels of anger exposure as an a priori assumption. Given that abuse is hostile or aggressive by nature, the assumption that abusive caregivers express – and that abused children witness – a lot of anger is reasonable. For several decades, anger in the home environment has played a central role in theories about how and why abused children develop health and behavioral problems. Victims of abuse are at risk for myriad poor physical and mental health outcomes ( McLaughlin, 2016). Moreover, the instance of childhood abuse is likely higher than recorded, given that many cases are not substantiated or reported. Despite attention and efforts to reduce childhood abuse ( Reynolds and Robertson, 2003), the number of victims continues to increase. Department of Health & Human Services et al., 2018). In 2016, 676,000 children were found to be substantiated victims of abuse or neglect ( U.S. Better characterization of the emotional environments in which abused children develop is critical for understanding how and why abuse affects children and has important implications for informing interventions.Ĭhild maltreatment is a significant public health concern in the United States. We found support for the claim that caregivers of abused children experience and express high levels of anger. We compared self-reported experiences of anger from parents/guardians of children who have experienced abuse with those who have not. Abuse was measured via records from Child Protective Services regarding substantiated and unsubstantiated claims of abuse as well as parent/guardian report. We tested this notion by assessing data on over 1,000 parents and guardians of 3- to 17-year-old children who were participants in child development studies. Anger exposure is thought to be a source of stress for children in abusive environments and a potential link between the experience of abuse and the development of health and behavioral problems. One assumption, which has stood without empirical test, is that abused children encounter a high degree of anger in their home environments. Less attention has been devoted to understanding the emotional environments of maltreated children. Much attention has been paid to the negative outcomes suffered by victims of abuse. 2Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United StatesĬhildhood maltreatment is a critical problem in the United States.1Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States.
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