1. Title:
THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG MALTREATMENT, QUALITY OF FAMILY
INTERACTION. EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS, SCHOLASTIC SKILLS,
AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN
School:
Psychology (Clinical)
Abstract:
This study examined the relationships among maltreatment, quality of family interaction,
emotional and behavioral problems, scholastic skills, and academic achievement in African
American Children. The child maltreatment literature is lacking a theoretical framework that
contextualizes and explains the relationships among the studied exogenous and endogenous
variables in African American children. The literature is continually using framework other than
ecological developmental framework to explain the etiology of child maltreatment in African
American population. Little is known how the studied factors influence academic achievement
in African American children. This study draws on the development and academic performance
model based on the framework proposed by Slade and Wissow (2007) and Shonk and Cicchetti
(2001). Using structural equation model (SEM), this study examined (N = 177) two endogenous
and five exogenous variables with fourteen indicators. Three non-significant paths were dropped
from the final structural model. A measurement model was imposed on the final structural
model yielding a fit statistics χ² = 67.63, df = 62, p = .29, CFI = .97, RMSEA .02, AGFI = .92,
PCLOSE = .93. Corroborating evidence suggest excellent fit to the data with no significant
difference between the specified theoretical model and the observed covariance matrix. The
regression path showed that scholastic skill  academic achievement at (β = .66, p < .001) had
the greatest influence on academic achievement. Income and sex were positively significant.
Maltreatment had an inverse relationship with academic achievement. The path from parent-
child interaction age 6 to parent-child interaction age 12 was statistically significant (β = .33, p <
.001). However, the direct path from parent-child interaction age 6 to academic achievement was
not statistically significant (β = .053, p = .053). Thus, there was support for the hypothesis that
parent-child interaction at age 12 functions as a mediator in the relationship between parent-child
interaction at age 6 and academic achievement at age 12. The mediation may best be described
as inconsistent mediation. The predictors of academic achievement in the final model explained
58% of its variance. The findings are discussed in terms of the study limitations, clinical
implication for preventive interventions, assessment and treatment, limitation of the study and
direction for further research.