Childhood maltreatment profiles and their associations with trajectories of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in Chinese early adolescents.

Abstract

Background: Childhood maltreatment is a risk factor for internalizing and externalizing symptoms in early adolescents. However, few studies have examined the associations between profiles of childhood maltreatment and trajectories of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in Chinese early adolescents.

Objectives: First, this study aimed to identify profiles of childhood maltreatment (i.e., physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect) using latent profile analysis (LPA). Second, this study aimed to elucidate the associations between the profiles and trajectories of the early adolescents' internalizing and externalizing symptoms using latent growth curve analysis (LGCM).

Participants and setting: The baseline sample included 1954 Chinese early adolescents (44.7 % girls) in Grade 4 with an average age of 11.39 years (SD = 0.56).

Method: Assessments were conducted on four occasions, six months apart. Childhood maltreatment was assessed at Time 1. Internalizing and externalizing symptoms were assessed from Time 1 to Time 4.

Results: Three profiles for the early adolescents were identified: Low Childhood Maltreatment (n = 1446; 74.00 %), Moderately High Neglect and Low Abuse (n = 300; 15.35 %), and High Abuse and Moderately Low Neglect (n = 208; 10.65 %). The levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms were the highest for the students in the High Abuse and Moderately Low Neglect profile, followed by the students in the Moderate High Neglect and Low Abuse profile. However, the rate of decline in internalizing and externalizing symptoms over time was the fastest within the High Abuse and Moderate Low Neglect profile, followed by the Moderate High Neglect and Low Abuse profile.

Conclusion: This study contributes to the understanding of childhood maltreatment profiles among early adolescents in China and their impact on internalizing and externalizing symptoms, while also discussing the results from a specific cultural perspective.