To evaluate a developmental cascade model linking child maltreatment to later adolescent psychopathology and cannabis abuse/dependence symptoms, we tested a series of nested longitudinal models, progressively evaluating within domain stability across time, the influence of maltreatment status, and cross-lag effects whereby one domain contributes to subsequent change in another domain. Constructs were assessed by multiple informants and measures, and the methodology allowed for examination of long-term longitudinal cross-domain paths while controlling for both cross-domain within-time associations and rank-order stability of each domain over time (Cole & Maxwell, 2003). Consequently, we advanced the following hypotheses in evaluating our cascade conceptualization: We expected to observe continuity in the rank order stability of internalizing and externalizing symptomatology from the early school-age years to late adolescence; stability in social competence across the school-age years also was hypothesized.Maltreatment occurring prior to the early school-age years was hypothesized to predict emergent internalizing and externalizing symptomatology during childhood, as well as deficiencies in social competence.We also expected that child maltreatment experiences would predict early adolescent substance use problems, specifically CAD symptoms.During childhood, cross-lagged relations from the early-
