Contamination, when members of a comparison or control condition are exposed to the event or intervention under scientific investigation, is a methodological phenomenon that downwardly biases the magnitude of effect size estimates. This study tested a novel approach for controlling contamination in observational child maltreatment research. Data from The Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN; N = 1354) were obtained to estimate the risk of confirmed child maltreatment on trajectories of internalizing and externalizing behaviors before and after controlling contamination. Baseline models, where contamination was uncontrolled, demonstrated a risk for greater internalizing (b = .29, p < .001, d = .40) and externalizing (b = .14, p = .040, d = .19) behavior trajectories. Final models, where contamination was controlled by separating the comparison condition into subgroups that did or did not self-report maltreatment, also demonstrated risks for greater internalizing (b = .37, p < .001, d = .51) and externalizing (b = .22, p = .028, d = .29) behavior trajectories. However, effect size estimates in final models were 27.5%–52.6% larger compared to baseline models. Controlling contamination in child maltreatment research can strengthen effect size estimates for child behavior problems, aiding future child maltreatment research design and analysis.

当比较或控制条件的成员暴露于科学研究中的事件或干预时，污染是一种方法论现象，它使效应大小估计的幅度向下偏差。这项研究测试了一种在观察性虐待儿童研究中控制污染的新方法。获得虐待和忽视儿童纵向研究（LONGSCAN；N = 1354）的数据，以估计控制污染前后内化和外化行为轨迹上确认的虐待儿童的风险。污染不受控制的基线模型表明存在更大的内化（b = .29，p < .001，d = .40）和外化（b = .14，p = .040，d = .19）行为轨迹的风险。最终模型，通过将比较条件分为有或没有自我报告虐待的亚组来控制污染，也证明了更大的内化 ( b = .37, p < .001, d = .51) 和外化 ( b = .22, p = .028, d = .29) 行为轨迹。然而，最终模型中的效应大小估计值比基线模型大 27.5%–52.6%。控制儿童虐待研究中的污染可以加强对儿童行为问题的效应大小估计，有助于未来儿童虐待研究的设计和分析。