Maltreated children's self-concept: effects of a comprehensive treatment program

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Child maltreatment significantly impacts psychological development.
• Therapeutic interventions are crucial for mitigating negative effects.
• Assessing program effectiveness is vital for evidence-based practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a therapeutic day treatment program on maltreated children's perceived competence and social acceptance.
• To compare developmental outcomes between children who received the program and those who did not.

Main Methods:

• Quasi-experimental design comparing 17 children in therapeutic day treatment with 17 maltreated children not receiving services.
• Utilized multivariate and univariate analyses to assess changes in perceived competence and social acceptance scores.
• Pretreatment and post-treatment assessments were conducted for the intervention group.

Main Results:

• Children in the therapeutic day treatment program showed significant developmental gains.
• The treatment group demonstrated enhanced self-concept compared to the control group.
• Improvements in perceived competence and social acceptance were observed in the intervention group.

Conclusions:

• Therapeutic day treatment is an effective intervention for improving psychological well-being in maltreated children.
• The program positively influences self-concept and social adjustment.
• Findings support the use of such programs for children experiencing maltreatment.