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Multilevel developmental perspectives on child maltreatment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2015

Dante Cicchetti  and
Sheree L. Toth
Dante Cicchetti*
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development
Sheree L. Toth
Affiliation:
University of Rochester Mt. Hope Family Center
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Dante Cicchetti, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, 51 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455. E-mail: cicchett@umn.edu.
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Information

Type
Editorial
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 27 , Special Issue 4pt2: Multilevel Developmental Perspectives on Child Maltreatment , November 2015 , pp. 1385 - 1386
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

The knowledge base on the effects of child maltreatment on developmental processes and outcomes has increased exponentially since the early stages of this research were initiated approximately 50 years ago. Although early studies were fraught with methodological flaws and limitations (for critical reviews, see Aber & Cicchetti, Reference Aber, Cicchetti, Fitzgerald, Lester and Yogman1984; Cicchetti & Aber, Reference Cicchetti and Aber1980), current studies are empirically rigorous, and both intervention and social policy initiatives are increasingly informed by the results of research investigations (Cicchetti & Toth, Reference Cicchetti and Toth1993, Reference Cicchetti and Toth2000). A consensus now exists that child maltreatment exerts a broad impact across multiple domains and systems of biological and psychological development, beginning at the time the trauma occurs and, unless intervention or other protective factors are operative, extending into adulthood (Cicchetti & Toth, Reference Cicchetti, Toth and Cicchettiin press; Jaffee & Christian, Reference Jaffee and Christian2014; Masten & Cicchetti, Reference Masten and Cicchetti2010; Moffitt & the Klaus-Grawe 2012 Think Tank, Reference Moffitt2013; Toth, Gravener-Davis, Guild, & Cicchetti, Reference Toth, Gravener-Davis, Guild and Cicchetti2013).

Moreover, the sophistication of research conducted on child maltreatment has increased substantially. Technological and statistical advances have opened up more avenues for elucidating the mechanisms and processes that contribute to the deleterious consequences associated with maltreatment, and to the development of resilient functioning in the face of adversity, as well as for shedding light on the development and implementation of effective prevention and intervention strategies (Bernard et al., Reference Bernard, Dozier, Bick, Lewis-Morrarty, Lindheim and Carlson2012; Cicchetti, Reference Cicchetti2013; Cicchetti, Rogosch, & Toth, Reference Cicchetti, Rogosch and Toth2006; Dozier, Peloso, Lewis, Laurenceau, & Levine, Reference Dozier, Peloso, Lewis, Laurenceau and Levine2008; Toth, Petrenko, Gravener Davis, & Handley, Reference Toth, Petrenko, Gravener Davis, Handley and Cicchettiin press).

In addition, the gains in scientific knowledge that have accrued have resulted in a dramatic growth in the comprehension of the genetic and epigenetic, neurobiological, neuroendocrinological, immunological, cognitive/representational, and socioemotional processes underlying both the developmental pathways to and the consequences of child maltreatment (Cicchetti & Toth, Reference Cicchetti, Toth and Cicchettiin press; Danese et al., Reference Danese, Moffitt, Pariante, Ambler, Poulton and Caspi2008; DeBellis, Reference DeBellis2001, Reference DeBellis2005; Heim & Binder, Reference Heim and Binder2012; Heim, Newport, Mletzko, Miller, & Nemeroff; Reference Heim, Newport, Mletzko, Miller and Nemeroff2008; Miller, Chen, & Parker, Reference Miller, Chen and Parker2011; Pollak, Cicchetti, Hornung, & Reed, Reference Pollak, Cicchetti, Hornung and Reed2000; Pollak, Cicchetti, Klorman, & Brumaghim, Reference Pollak, Cicchetti, Klorman and Brumaghim1997; Tarullo & Gunnar, Reference Tarullo and Gunnar2006; Weder et al., Reference Weder, Zhang, Jensen, Yang, Simen and Jackowski2014; Yang et al., Reference Yang, Zhang, Ge, Weder, Douglas-Palumberi and Perepletchikova2013). One outgrowth of these advances in understanding developmental processes has been that in order to grasp fully the complexity inherent to the examination of the human mind, normal and abnormal, it is important that a multiple levels of analysis approach and an interdisciplinary perspective be incorporated into the research armamentaria of maltreatment investigators (Cicchetti, Reference Cicchetti, Beauchaine and Hinshaw2008; Cicchetti & Dawson, Reference Cicchetti and Dawson2002; Cicchetti & Valentino, Reference Cicchetti, Valentino and Masten2007).

Prevention and intervention scientists need to incorporate measures at multiple levels of analysis into randomized control trial interventions to more fully capture and evaluate intervention effects and mechanistic processes consistent with theory (Cicchetti & Blender, Reference Cicchetti and Blender2006; Cicchetti & Gunnar, Reference Cicchetti and Gunnar2008; Hinshaw, Reference Hinshaw2002; Toth et al., Reference Toth, Petrenko, Gravener Davis, Handley and Cicchettiin press). The contributions to this Special Issue exemplify the growth of research on child maltreatment from a multilevel perspective. As research of this nature continues to burgeon, findings can be translated into the design, implementation, and evaluation of developmentally sensitive interventions that can contribute to reducing maladaptation and psychopathology and to promoting resilience.

References

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