Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 136 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-75).

Thesis (D. Phil. (Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 278-307).

Thesis (M. Nurs.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-132).

This dissertation represents an attempt to better understand why physically abused children are more likely to develop aggressive tendencies. A sample of adolescents receiving child protection services was administered a battery of self-report measures on maltreatment, health, and well-being; an aggression measure was administered a year later. The specific focus was to determine whether aggressive youth were more likely to (1) have suffered harsher physical abuse, (2) generate violence outcome expectancies that favour recourse to aggression, and (3) report higher levels of abuse-related shame. Respectively, the second and third hypotheses were based on social information processing and shame-rage models of aggression. / Only the hypothesis of the fast study on maltreatment characteristics was supported. Victims of frequent and severe abuse were more likely to report aggression. As for the second and third study, the expectation of positive outcomes from violence and feelings of shame-rage (as indicated by high levels of guilt-free shame) were actually inversely related to aggression. / Even though these results went in the opposite direction of the hypotheses, they are not altogether in conflict with theoretical models. According to L. Rowell Huesmann's description of social information processing, a hostile worldview was considered a mediating factor in the development of aggression problems. The tendency for aggressive youth to expect negative rather than positive outcomes from violence can be interpreted as support for this view. Abuse-related shame was not related to aggression, but it did demonstrate the predicted association with anger and hostility. The suggestion therefore is that feeling shame as a result of abuse leads to pent-up rather than expressed rage. / Given these results, it is suggested that victims of harsh maltreatment be targeted for appropriate prevention and skills promotion programs. Also, future research should investigate whether the formation of problematic relationship schemas and the tendency to suppress abuse-related emotions contribute to the maintenance of aggression problems.

No description available.

The goal of this study was to investigate the real self-image, ideal self-image, and self-image disparity of maltreated adolescents, both acting-out and nonacting-out, as compared to nonmaltreated adolescents. Participants included 58 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 with groups approximately matched for age, IQ, and mental age. The maltreated group consisted of children who had been neglected, physically abused, and/or psychologically abused. Children in both maltreated and nonmaltreated groups were classified as acting-out or nonacting-out based on reports of truancy, substance abuse, disrespect for authority, violent outbursts, and trouble within the legal system. The primary findings of the study were that maltreated as compared to nonmaltreated individuals displayed lower real self-images and larger self-image disparities. However, the lowest real self-image scores were displayed by the acting-out adolescents regardless of their maltreatment status. In a comparison between the acting-out maltreated adolescents and the acting-out nonmaltreated adolescents, the real self-images were comparable, suggesting that the experience of maltreatment does not exacerbate the negative effect of behavioural difficulty. In addition, the acting-out maltreated children displayed higher ideal self-images than the acting-out nonmaltreated children. Both experiences of maltreatment and acting-out behaviours appear to be related to negative effects of self-image in adolescents. This highlights the importance of investigating the influence of experiential factors on self-system processing.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Catholic University of America, 2007. / Adviser: Karlynn BrintzenhofeSzoc. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University of Pennsylvania. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-166).

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-114) Also available in print.