Early elementary school adjustment of maltreated children in foster care: the roles of inhibitory control and caregiver involvement.
In this study, 85 maltreated foster children and 56 non-maltreated community children (M age=3-6 years) were assessed across kindergarten and first grade to examine the hypothesis that inhibitory control and caregiver involvement mediate associations between a history of maltreatment and foster placement and early school adjustment. Specifically, academic and social-emotional competence were evaluated. The maltreated foster children performed more poorly in academic and social-emotional competence. Inhibitory control fully mediated the association of maltreatment and foster placement with academic competence, whereas inhibitory control and caregiver involvement mediated their association with social-emotional competence. The results suggest that inhibitory control and caregiver involvement might be promising targets for school readiness interventions for foster preschoolers.
Pears
Katherine C
KC
Oregon Social Learning Center, 10 Shelton McMurphey Boulevard, Eugene, OR 97401, USA. katherinep@oslc.org
Fisher
Philip A
PA
Bruce
Jacqueline
J
Kim
Hyoun K
HK
Yoerger
Karen
K
D017028:Caregivers; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D012917:Social Adjustment