The importance of degree versus type of maltreatment: a cluster analysis of child abuse types

The author conducted secondary data analysis of 3 previously reported studies (D. J. Higgins & M.P. McCabe, 1998, 2000b, 2003) to examine whether respondents are best classified according to their experience of separate maltreatment types (sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, neglect, and witnessing family violence) or whether their experience reflects a single unifying concept: child maltreatment. The author conducted a cluster analysis of the combined dataset followed by a confirmatory discriminant function analysis. Finally, the differences in psychological adjustment between those classified into the 3 different clusters were examined as a test of the 3-cluster solution. The best cluster analysis solution grouped individuals according to the degree to which maltreatment behaviors were reported. Individuals classified into the high maltreatment cluster had significantly more adjustment problems than those in either the moderate or the low maltreatment clusters. The results showed that it may be more meaningful to talk about the degree of maltreatment (frequency and/or severity) experienced by the child rather than about the type.