(provided by candidate) Verbal and emotional abuse are more prevalent in our communities than any other form of child abuse, and are tied to a range of negative outcomes for children and adolescents. Yet, there are no data on how such abuse may affect the development of friendships. This study aims to address this gap in a sample of 172 adolescents and their close friends who will be assessed over four waves. It will use two interaction tasks, self-, parent-, and peer-reports to examine the social competence and friendships of these adolescents. Our hypotheses are that abused teens will: (a) have higher rates of externalizing and internalizing behaviors, (b) have weaker attachments to friends, (c) have less interpersonal competence, (d) select friends who have more problem behaviors, and (e) show less positive and more negative behaviors in coded interactions with friends. Regression and latent growth curve analyses will be used to assess these outcomes over time. Important contextual factors, such as gender and race, will be examined and included in models. We will also give three measures of abuse - the Conflict Tactics Scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and Psychological Maltreatment Experience Questionnaire. Thus, analyses will be used to test for what specific parental behaviors are most harmful. The results will cast a developmental light on the behaviors that may be learned in an abusive home. They will begin to address a key question: Are verbal and emotional abuse """"""""transmitted"""""""" over the lifespan? We can then help to improve upon efforts to intervene with abused teens, to enhance public awareness, and to educate parents.
