Latent profiles and transition of child maltreatment and peer victimization among Chinese internal migrant children: Associations with their psychological maladjustment

Abstract

Internal migrant children often face dual challenges from both child maltreatment and peer victimization, yet the impact of various profiles of these experiences, along with their developmental transitions, on psychological maladjustment over time remains unclear. To fill these gaps, this study employed latent profile analysis and latent transition analysis to explore the associations between patterns of child maltreatment and peer victimization and psychological maladjustment (including loneliness, depressive symptoms, behavioral problems, and non-suicidal self-injury) and to determine whether changes in these patterns over time predict future psychological maladjustment. The participants comprised 544 Chinese internal migrant children (51.1% male, Mage = 11.75, SD = 1.12) who completed two surveys. At both Time 1 and Time 2, four distinct profiles were identified. The doubly disadvantaged profile was linked to increased loneliness, while no significant differences were observed among the four profiles regarding the other three indicators. Five transitioning profiles were identified: Stable both low profile, fluctuation profile, stable risk profile, exacerbation profile, and mitigation profile. Internal migrant children in distinct transitioning profiles showed different levels of psychological maladjustment. The findings underscore the co-occurring and transitional nature of child maltreatment and peer victimization, emphasizing the necessity for robust family and school support systems to foster optimal mental health for internal migrant children.