Examining the Protective Impact of Peer Relationships on Negative Self-Esteem among High-Risk Adolescents: The Interplay of Gender and Ethnicity

This study examines to what extent peer relationships mitigate the effects of emotional maltreatment on self-esteem among adolescents who remained with their parents after a child maltreatment investigation. Its second aim is to explore how gender, race, and ethnicity moderate the association between peer relationships and self-esteem. The study sample consists of adolescents between 11 and 17 living with a biological parent after the initial CPS investigation from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being II. The analysis is limited to the cases with valid responses on youth-reported emotional maltreatment, negative self-esteem, and peer relationships at Wave 2 and demographic data and child welfare involvement in Wave 1, yielding 393 adolescents. Findings confirm the protective effects of peer relationships and the adverse effects of emotional maltreatment on self-esteem. The impact of peer relationships is significantly more robust among female and Hispanic adolescents. Implications for practice include peer-based interventions and preventive services.