noted, as well as peer rejection in the early elementary grades, academic failure, and low degree of commitment to school. These features are consistent with the progression of developmental failures exhibited by maltreated children (Cicchetti & Valentino, 2006). Consequently, compromised adaptation in the social and academic arena contributes to association with deviant peers, who escalate the access to and modeling of substance abuse, contributing to early onset of drug use. Accordingly, children in maltreating families are exposed to a progression of risk factors related to adolescent substance involvement, thereby heightening their vulnerability for substance abuse outcomes.
