Date of Award

6-1-2012

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Abbey Eisenhower

Second Advisor

Joan H. Liem

Third Advisor

Alice S. Carter

Abstract

The current study examined the relationship between exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs), emotional adjustment, and social competence in a sample of economically-disadvantaged, racially and ethnically diverse preschool-aged children (n=63; 60% female; average age = 52 months, S.D. = 10.30, range: 36-74 months). In this cross-sectional study, primary relationships between exposure to PTEs and emotional adjustment, and exposure to PTEs and social competence were examined. Additionally, parent affective symptoms were tested as a moderator of the relationship between child exposure to PTEs and emotional adjustment, and emotional adjustment was tested as a moderator of the relationship between child exposure to PTEs and social competence. Gender effects of these relationships also were tested, on an exploratory basis. The results of the current study suggest that exposure to PTEs involving interpersonal violence are predictive of parent-reported emotional adjustment, and also that teacher-reported emotional adjustment moderates the relationship between exposure to PTEs and teacher-reported social competence. This research contributes to existing literature, particularly on the relationship between emotional adjustment and social competence, which is rarely studied through the lens of economic disadvantage and exposure to PTEs.

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