The interactive effect of maltreatment in the family and unstable institutional caregiving in predicting behavior problems in toddlers

The current study extends research on the effects of institutionalization, most notably by
examining whether—and how—both pre-institutional maltreatment in the family and the
stability and consistency of institutional care interact to shape emotional and behavioral
development. Fifty Portuguese children, placed in residential institutions when 8 days to 26
months of age, were evaluated using the Child Behavior Checklist when aged 18–31 months.
Caregiver-rated internalizing and externalizing behavior problems proved to be unrelated
to both early family and institutional experiences, as main effects, but the interaction of
these factors significantly predicted externalizing problems: a history of maltreatment in
the family coupled with unstable institutional caregiving arrangements predicted especially
elevated levels of externalizing problems. Results are discussed in terms of the
importance of more distal and proximate developmental experiences.
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion