The impact of neglect on initial adaptation to school

Abstract

This study examined the impact of child neglect during the first 4 years of life on adaptation to school during kindergarten and first grade in the context of neighborhood poverty (NP). Processes related to the development of school competencies were examined, including the mediational role of cognitive functioning and ego-resiliency (ER) in shaping children's school outcomes. A total of 170 low-income urban children were followed prospectively for 2 years (ages 4-6). Results indicated that neglected children had significantly lower scores on kindergarten classroom behavior and first-grade academic performance than nonneglected children. Children's cognitive performance at age 4, controlling for maternal intelligence quotient, mediated the relation between severity of neglect and children's behavior in kindergarten as well as their academic performance in first grade. Moreover, severity of neglect was related to children's ER at age 4. However, additional ecological adversity in the form of NP moderated the link between ER and classroom behavior, such that at lower levels of poverty, ER mediated the relation between severity of neglect and school adaptation. Conversely, when NP was extreme, the effects of ER were attenuated and ER ceased to predict behavioral performance in kindergarten. The implications of these findings for prevention and intervention are discussed.

Keywords: child neglect; cognition; developmental psychopathology; ego-resiliency; neighborhood poverty; school adaptation.

Figure 1

Structural equation model 1: Severity of neglect prior to age four, kindergarten classroom behaviors, and first grade academic performance, mediated by cognitive performance at age four, including neighborhood poverty as a moderator, covarying maternal I.Q., maternal high school education, minority status, receipt of public assistance Note.*= p < .05; **= p < .01; Cognitive Performance Age 4: PPV – PPVT Standard score, WPPSI IQ – Full Scale IQ, EVT – EVT Standard Score; Classroom Behaviors Kindergarten: Task Or – TCRS Task Orientation, Bev C – TCRS Behavior Control, Peer S – TCRS Peer Social Skills, K Lng – Language Arts Effort mean, K Math – Math Effort mean; Academic Performance First grade: Lang – Language Arts grades, Math - Math grades; Neigh.Poverty – Neighborhood Poverty. The structural model fit indices indicated good model fit (CFI = 0.944; TLI= 0.922; R-MSEA=.063; close fit test p >.123; standardized RMR = 0.065). The following variables were used as covariates to control for family-level poverty (See Table 4): Maternal high school education, minority status, receipt of public assistance.

Figure 2

Structural equation model 2: Severity of neglect prior to age four on kindergarten classroom behaviors and first grade academic performance via ego-resiliency, including neighborhood poverty by ego-resiliency interaction as a moderator covarying maternal high school education, minority status, receipt of public assistance Note.*= p < .05; **= p < .01; Ego Resiliency: Barrier Box: Flex – Flexibility, Post af –Positive Affect, Self Est –Self-esteem, Creat – Creativity; Classroom Behaviors Kindergarten: Task Or – TCRS Task Orientation, Bev C – TCRS Behavior Control, Peer S – TCRS Peer Social Skills, K Lng – Language Arts Effort mean, K Math – Math Effort mean; Poverty: Census Tract: CToou – #Owner Occupied Units, CTfh – % Families w/Female Householder no husband w/related kids under 18 below poverty level, CThs – High School Graduate, PerCap – Per Capita Income; Academic Performance First grade: Lang – Language Arts grades, Math - Math grades; The structural model fit indices were CFI = 0.941; TLI= 0.932; R-MSEA=.050; close fit test p >.499; standardized RMR = 0.077. The following variables were used as covariates to control for family-level poverty (See Table 5): Maternal high school education, minority status, receipt of public assistance.