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Verbal and Emotional Abuse as Predictors of Change in Close Friendship in Early Adolescence

Verbal and Emotional Abuse as Predictors of Change in Close Friendship in Early Adolescence. Heather L. Tencer University of Virginia Society for Research in Adolescence April 2002. Abstract.

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Verbal and Emotional Abuse as Predictors of Change in Close Friendship in Early Adolescence

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  1. Verbal and Emotional Abuse as Predictors of Change in Close Friendship in Early Adolescence Heather L. Tencer University of Virginia Society for Research in Adolescence April 2002

  2. Abstract Verbal and emotional abuse are more prevalent in the community than any other form of child abuse and are tied to outcomes such as low self-esteem and school marks. It is not clear, however, how this form of abuse may relate to the development of close peer relations. The current study examines the extent to which verbal and emotional abuse can be used to predict changes in friendships and social competence. Data were obtained for a sample of 103 adolescents and their friends at ages 13 and 14. Results indicated that, over a one-year period, abused adolescents became less close with friends, less likely to have other positive friendship qualities, and less capable in their interpersonal skills. Females were more at risk than males for some of these declines. In sum, this study suggests that verbal and emotional abuse may set the stage for difficulties in maintaining close peer relations at this age.

  3. Introduction • An emerging body of research has shown that verbal and emotional abuse are not only common, but pose a threat to mental health. In adolescence, this form of abuse is related to outcomes such as anxiety, withdrawal, low self-esteem, and school marks (Vissing et al., 1991; Solomon & Serres, 1991). • Because abuse occurs in the context of a close relationship, it is likely that it also contributes to the development of close peer relations. To date, no other studies have assessed the close peer relations of youth who are verbally or emotionally abused. • In their daily interactions with parents, adolescents develop an understanding of themselves and others. They may learn new patterns of behavior, social skills, and coping styles. Many authors argue that these lessons can help to shape the course of peer relations (Price, 1996).

  4. Central Questions • What is the closeness of friendships for adolescents who are verbally or emotionally abused? How do peers perceive certain qualities of these friendships over time? • To what extent do abused adolescents demonstrate deficits in their social competence? Specifically, are there deficits in their ability to resolve conflicts, offer emotional support, and initiate relationships? • Do the outcomes associated with abuse seem to vary with the gender of adolescents?

  5. Method Sample characteristics.Data were collected from 103 adolescents (55% female) and their close friends who were recruited from a public middle school. Adolescents were 13 years of age at Time 1 of the study and 14 years of age at Time 2. The sample was composed of Caucasians, African-Americans, and other minorities (63%, 26%, and 11%, respectively). The median family income was $50,000, with a range of $2,500 to over $70,000. Abuse measures.Verbal and emotional abuse is any act that is perceived as having the intent to cause psychological pain (Vissing et al., 1991). Some examples are insults, threats, harsh criticism, and guilt induction. A version of the Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus, 1979) was used to assess adolescent perceptions of paternal verbal abuse. Adolescents were asked to indicate the level of emotional abuse by parents on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Bernstein & Fink, 1998).

  6. Method (cont’d) Friendship measures.Peer reports of their level of closeness with adolescents were gathered on the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987). Other aspects of the friendship (recreation, intimacy, help and guidance, and validation and caring) were rated by peers on the Friendship Quality Questionnaire (Parker & Asher, 1993). Social competence measure.Peers were asked to evaluate adolescents’ use of various interpersonal skills, such as conflict resolution, emotional support, and initiating relationships, on the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire (Buhrmester, 1990). Demographics.Adolescent age, gender, ethnicity, and family income were obtained using a measure of basic demographic information.

  7. Results Table 2 presents the means and standard deviations of all variables in the study. Regression analyses were performed to assess both verbal and emotional abuse as predictors of change in adolescent friendship and social competence over a one-year period (see Tables 3-6*). Gender was included as a covariate in each model. Friendship outcomes. Paternal verbal abuse was related to adolescents becoming less close, less likely to engage in intimacy,and less helpful and caring with friends. Emotional abuse was related to a decline in closeness and recreation with friends in this same period. *For the sake of brevity, only four regression tables and two figures are presented for the poster.

  8. Results (cont’d) Social competence outcomes. Adolescents exposed to verbal oremotional abuse became less skilled at resolving conflicts andoffering emotional support. A decline in the ability to initiaterelationships was also associated with paternal verbal abuse. Moderating effects. A final set of analyses was performed to assess gender as a possible moderator of these outcomes. There was a relation between abuse and the closeness of friendships for female adolescents. Similarly, only females showed a relation between abuse and abilities to resolve conflicts and initiate relationships (see Tables 1-2).

  9. Discussion • This study provides initial support for the idea that verbal and emotional abuse are related to close peer relations. • Abused adolescents showed declines in their friendship quality and social competence over a one-year period. From ages 13 to 14, they became less close with friends, less likely to have other positive friendship qualities, and less capable in their interpersonal skills. Females were more at risk for some of these declines, perhaps because they are more sensitive than males to insults, threats, and other relational behaviors (Nelson & Crick, 2002). • It is suggested that research begin to address whether declines in close peer relations may contribute to the development of psychopathology among abused youth.

  10. Table 1. Sample Items from Included Study Measures • Conflict Tactics Scale “My father did or said something to spite me” • Childhood Trauma Questionnaire “People in my family said hurtful or insulting things to me” • Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment “I feel my friend is a good friend” “My friend cares about my point of view when we discuss things” • Friendship Quality Questionnaire “My friend and I always play or hang out together” “We make each other feel important or special” • Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire • “How good is ________ at making someone feel better when they are unhappy or sad?” “How good is ________ at resolving disagreements so that neither person feels hurt or resentful?”

  11. Table 2. Means and Standard Deviations

  12. Tables 3 and 4. Predicting Change over Time in Adolescent Closeness and Recreation with Friends Notes: ßs are from each variable’s first entry into the model; *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001

  13. Tables 5 and 6. Predicting Change over Time in Adolescent Abilities to Resolve Conflicts and Offer Emotional Support Notes: ßs are from each variable’s first entry into the model; *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001

  14. Figure 1. Interaction of Paternal Verbal Abuse and Gender in Predicting Adolescents’ Ability to Resolve Conflicts

  15. Figure 2. Interaction of Paternal Verbal Abuse and Gender in Predicting Adolescents’ Ability to Initiate Relationships

  16. References Armsden, G.C., & Greenberg, M.T. (1987). The inventory of parent and peer attachment: Individual differences and their relationship to psychological well-being. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 16, 427-454. Bernstein, D.P., & Fink, L. (1998). Childhood trauma questionnaire manual. San Antonio: The Psychological Corporation. Buhrmester, D. (1990). Intimacy of friendship, interpersonal competence, and adjustment during preadolescence and adolescence. Child Development, 61, 1101-1111. Nelson, D.A., & Crick, N.R. (2002). Parental psychological control: Implications for childhood physical and relational aggression. In B.K. Barber (Ed.), Intrusive parenting: How psychological control affects children and adolescents (pp. 161-189). Washington, DC: APA. Parker, J.G., & Asher, S.R. (1993). Friendship and friendship quality in middle childhood: Links with peer group acceptance and feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction. Developmental Psychology, 29, 611-621. Parker, J.G., & Herrera, C. (1996). Interpersonal processes in friendships: A comparison of abused and nonabused children’s experiences. Developmental Psychology, 32, 1025-1038. Price, J.M. (1996). Friendships of maltreated children and adolescents: Contexts for expressing and modifying relationship history. In W.M. Bukowski, A.F. Newcomb, and W.W. Hartup (Eds.), The company they keep: Friendship in childhood and adolescence (pp. 262-285). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Solomon, C.R., & Serres, F. (1999). Effects of parental verbal aggression on children’s self-esteem and school marks. Child Abuse and Neglect, 23, 339-351. Straus, M.A. (1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence. The Conflict Tactics Scale. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 41, 75-86. Vissing, Y.M., Straus, M.A., Gelles, R.J., & Harrop, J.W. (1991). Verbal aggression by parents and psychosocial problems of children. Child Abuse and Neglect, 15, 223-238.

  17. Acknowledgements I gratefully acknowledge support from the National Institute of Mental Health (Grants # R01 MH58066 and #1F31 MH 64216-01) to Joseph Allen (Principal Investigator) and Heather Tencer for the conduct and write-up of this study. I also want to express my gratitude to the young adolescents at the Commonwealth Center in Virginia, who introduced me to the hurt associated with verbal and emotional abuse and gave me a chance to see their friendships unfold. Copies of this poster and related work in our lab are available at http://faculty.virginia.edu/allen.

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