The psychosocial adjustment of maltreated children: methodological limitations and guidelines for future research

Several empirical studies on the impact of maltreatment on children's psychosocial adjustment were recently reviewed in this journal [1]. Following a brief overview of the findings from that article, the present paper summarizes the methodological limitations of the studies reviewed and discusses guidelines for future research in this area. In order to advance knowledge of child maltreatment sequelae, we suggest future studies should include the following: precise operational definitions of maltreatment; adequate verification of the absence of maltreatment in the control groups; identification and control of maltreatment covariates; and consideration of subjects' age in group assignment. Future investigations should also employ more longitudinal research designs and give more attention to the treatment needs of the child.