Children’s Emotional Abuse and Relational Functioning: Social Support and Internalizing Symptoms as Moderators

Emotional abuse in childhood has deleterious consequences across development and may be a key factor that underlies all forms of childhood maltreatment. This study examined the association between emotional abuse and relationship functioning among 139 low-income, African American 8- to 12-year-old children, with internalizing symptoms and social support from family, peers, and teachers tested as moderators. Emotional abuse was significantly negatively correlated with both peer and family relationship functioning. Furthermore, results revealed a pattern of specificity regarding the source of social support (e.g., teacher) and the type of relationship functioning (e.g., family) measured. Implications of these findings for working with emotionally abused children are discussed.