An organizational perspective on peer relations in maltreated children

In this chapter, we illustrate how a family context of child maltreatment may adversely influence the development of children’s peer relationships. The family provides the context out of which peer relationships can emerge. An optimal familial environment includes a positive developmental history in each parent’s family of origin, a harmonious contemporaneous marital relationship, and nurturant, sensitive, and predictable parent-child interactions (Belsky & Pensky, 1988; Caspi & Elder, 1988; Easterbrooks & Emde, 1988; Engfer, 1988; Main, Kaplan, & Cassidy, 1985; Sroufe & Fleeson, 1986, 1988). These conditions maximize the probability that children in such families w ill form secure attachment relationships with one or both caregivers (Belsky & Vondra, 1989; Cicchetti, 1990; Sroufe & Fleeson, 1988). This security reduces fear in novel situations and allows children tofeel comfortable in exploring the environment. @copy; 1992 Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.