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Play and social skills in maltreated and non-maltreated preschoolers during peer interactions
D Darwish1, G B Esquivel, J C Houtz
1Fordham University, Graduate School of Education, Department of Psychological and Educational Services, New York, NY 10023, USA.
Insights
Maltreated children exhibit poorer social skills and more behavioral problems compared to non-maltreated peers. These differences in social skills and play behaviors persist despite socioeconomic factors.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Social-Emotional Development
Background:
- Child maltreatment is a significant public health concern.
- Early social skills and play behaviors are crucial for development.
- Low socioeconomic status can influence child development and behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare social skills and play behaviors of maltreated and non-maltreated children.
- To investigate the impact of maltreatment on peer interactions and self-control.
- To examine the relationship between social skills and play behaviors in young children.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 30 children aged 3-5 years (15 maltreated, 15 non-maltreated).
- Inclusion of children from therapeutic nursery and Head Start programs, all of low socioeconomic status.
- Analysis of videotaped peer interactions and social skills ratings by teachers/therapists.
Main Results:
- Maltreated children showed significantly lower skills in initiating peer interactions and maintaining self-control.
- Maltreated children exhibited a higher frequency of problem behaviors during play.
- No significant group differences were observed in social participation or cognitive play level.
Conclusions:
- Child maltreatment negatively impacts the development of interpersonal skills.
- These effects are evident beyond the influence of low socioeconomic status and environmental stressors.
- Intervention programs should address social skills deficits in maltreated children.
Objective:
The goal of the study was to investigate whether maltreated children differ from nonmaltreated children with regard to their social skills and play behaviors.
Method:
The social skills and free-play behaviors of 30 3- to 5-year-old maltreated and nonmaltreated children were compared. Fifteen children with a range of maltreatment experiences drawn from a hospital-based therapeutic nursery treatment program and 15 demographically similar children drawn from a home-based Head Start program participated in the study. All children were of low socioeconomic status. Children's free-play peer interactions were videotaped during the first 3 months of attendance in either program and analyzed along social and cognitive dimensions. Teachers and therapists rated children's social skills in peer interactions.
Results:
Maltreated children were found to have significantly poorer skill in initiating interactions with peers and maintaining self-control, as well as a greater number of problem behaviors. Significant differences were not found between groups with regard to social participation or cognitive level of play. Significant correlations of moderate strength were found between social participation in play and social skills for the sample as a whole: total social skills score was positively related to interactive play, and negatively related to solitary play.
Conclusion:
The results suggest that the experience of maltreatment has a negative impact on children's developing interpersonal skills above and beyond the influence of factors associated with low socioeconomic status and other environmental stressors.