Maltreatment occurring prior to age 12 was assessed retrospectively during wave III using a four-item questionnaire. Two items assessed neglect (How often have your care-givers left you home alone when an adult should have been with you?; How often have your caregivers not taken care of your basic needs, such as keeping you clean or providing food or clothing?). One item assessed physical maltreatment (How often had your parents or other adult caregivers slapped, hit, or kicked you?). One item assessed sexual maltreatment (How often had one of your parents or other adult caregivers touched you in a sexual way, forced you to touch him or her in a sexual way, or forced you to have sexual relations?). The frequency, but not the severity, of each item was assessed via six response options: (1) never, (2) once, (3) twice, (4) three to five times, (5) six to ten times, (6) more than 10 times. While there was a long interval between the age at which maltreatment was assessed and the time period about which it was assessed, retrospective endorsements of
