Maltreatment and Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Chinese Children With and Without Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Maltreatment has negative effects on the parent child relationship and the emotional and behavioral development of children. The current study aimed to examine the associations among maltreatment, parent child relationship, and emotional and behavioral problems in Chinese children with or without oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) Participants in the study included 259 children with ODD and their 269 non ODD counterparts from northern, eastern, and southwestern China. We also collected data from their teachers and fathers or mothers. The results showed that ODD children suffered more maltreatment and had more emotional and behavioral problems than their non ODD peers. For all children (both ODD and non ODD children) emotional abuse predicted emotional problems but not behavioral problems. Physical abuse predicted behavioral problems but not emotional problems. Parent child relationship mediated the effects of emotional abuse and physical abuse on emotional problems among ODD children but not among non ODD children. Implications for prevention of emotional and physical abuse and ODD in the Chinese cultural context are discussed.
Journal of interpersonal violence