It is estimated that between 89.160 and 127.190 children in the Netherlands experience maltreatment every year, which can cause long term effects such as medical problems, trauma, depression and...Show moreIt is estimated that between 89.160 and 127.190 children in the Netherlands experience maltreatment every year, which can cause long term effects such as medical problems, trauma, depression and anxiety. Research has shown that social support is a protective factor for experiencing behavior problems in maltreated individuals. This study examined whether social support moderates the relationship between maltreatment and anxiety by questioning 39 Dutch adolescents between 12 and 17 years old. During lab visits the participants filled out an informed consent and multiple questionnaires like the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS-PC) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Social Support Scales for Children and Adolescents SSSC/SSSA and the Youth Self Report (YSR). A PROCESS-analysis was conducted to determine whether social support moderated the relationship between experienced maltreatment and anxiety. The relationship between child maltreatment and anxiety was found to be non-significant. Results also showed a non-significant negative relationship between social support and anxiety. Furthermore, social support did not moderate the relationship between experienced maltreatment and anxiety. These results may be partially explained by the small sample and the limited number of maltreated children in the sample. Furthermore, the group that experienced anxiety was also lower than expected due to a restriction of range. These results are not as expected, as other research has shown the buffering role of social support in relation to maltreatment and anxiety. Due to previous research and the limitations of this study it is important to implement social support for people who experience anxiety in society. Examples like reading books and school curricula are discussed. Upcoming research should be conducted with a larger and representative sample and ways to diminish social desirability should be taken into consideration.Show less
