We used maximum likelihood estimation techniques (Neale & Cardon, 1992) to test univariate and multivariate models examining maltreatment, physical maltreatment, neglect, and sexual maltreatment. These analyses were conducted using Mx (Neale, Boker, Xie, & Maes, 2002). The univariate models and multivariate models decompose the variance in children’s experiences of physical maltreatment, neglect, and sexual maltreatment and the covariance among the three forms of maltreatment, respectively, into that explained by latent additive genetic factors (A), the shared environment (C), the twin environment (T), and nonshared environmental (E) effects.
