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Development in children following abuse and nonorganic failure to thrive
Insights
Childhood abuse and nonorganic failure to thrive (NOFTT) significantly impact long-term development, affecting language, reading, and intelligence. Abused children also show deficits in general intelligence, interpersonal skills, and self-concept.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
Background:
- Childhood abuse and nonorganic failure to thrive (NOFTT) are significant adverse experiences.
- Long-term developmental outcomes for these children require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the long-term developmental sequelae of childhood abuse and NOFTT.
- To identify similarities and differences in developmental trajectories between these groups and matched controls.
Main Methods:
- Study included 39 children with a history of abuse and 14 with a history of NOFTT.
- Comparison groups were matched for age, sex, social class, and ethnic background.
- Developmental assessments included language ability, reading age, verbal and general intelligence, interpersonal relations, self-concept, and social maturity.
Main Results:
- Both abused children and those with NOFTT demonstrated similar language abilities but lagged behind comparison groups in language development, reading age, and verbal intelligence.
- Abused children, unlike those with NOFTT, showed significant delays in general intelligence, interpersonal relations, and self-concept.
- Children with NOFTT did not exhibit delays in social maturity, whereas abused children did not show such delays.
Conclusions:
- Both childhood abuse and NOFTT have long-term adverse developmental consequences.
- A sustained, child-centered approach is crucial for addressing the complex needs arising from these early adversities.
Abstract:
Thirty-nine children who had been abused an average of 5 1/2 years earlier and 14 children who had been admitted to the hospital with nonorganic failure to thrive (NOFTT) 13 years earlier were studied to look at similarities and differences in their development. Each group was studied in relation to a comparison group matched for age, sex, social class, and ethnic background. The abused children and those with NOFTT were similar in their language ability, and were significantly behind their comparison groups in language development, reading age, and verbal intelligence. The abused children, but not the group who had NOFTT, were significantly behind their comparison group in general intelligence, interpersonal relations, and self-concept, but in contrast to the children with NOFTT they were not delayed in social maturity. The long-term adverse sequelae of these two conditions emphasize the need for a long-term, child-centered approach.