Affective Behavior of Abused and Control Children: Comparisons of Parent-Child Interactions and the Influence of Home Environment Variables

Affective behaviors of 14 pairs of infant and preschool abused and control children matched on age, race, sex, and socioeconomic level were assessed in parent-child interaction. Subgroups of abused and control samples were formed by introduction of selected home environment variables chosen to represent properties of the parent-child dyad. Matched-pairs analysis showed few matched t-test comparisons to be significant. However, significant interactions were observed when two-way analyses of variance were performed with abused-control and status of home environment as factors. For positive affective behaviors, the abused group favored on home environment variables was higher than the favored control group. For negative affective behaviors, the abused group less-favored on home environment variables was higher than the less-favored control group. As a response to abuse, an increased sensitivity to the physical and social stimulation of the home environment is proposed.