PEER RELATIONSHIPS AND SELF-ESTEEM AMONG CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN MALTREATED

A prospective longitudinal design was employed to assess risks associa ted with maltreatment in a representative community sample of 107 malt reated children and an equal number of nonmaltreated comparison childr en. Heightened difficulties in peer relationships and self-esteem were associated with greater severity and chronicity of maltreatment. For example, children who experienced chronic maltreatment were less well- liked by peers. Type of maltreatment was also related to specific aspe cts of children's adjustment. For instance, sexual abuse predicted low self-esteem, but not problems in peer relationships. Emotional maltre atment, on the other hand, was related to difficulties in peer relatio nships, but not to low self-esteem. Thus, the best predictions of spec ific aspects of children's adjustment were provided by considering tim ing, type, and severity of maltreatment. For some groups of maltreated children, having a good friend was associated with improvement over t ime in self-esteem.