NCJ Number
144490
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 17 Issue: 4 Dated: (July-August 1993) Pages: 549-556
Date Published
1993
Length
8 pages
Annotation
A group of 154 Croatian professionals directly involved with abused children and a group of 152 respondents who did not have direct involvement with abused children completed a questionnaire designed to assess their attitudes about the conditions under which child abuse arises, perceived causes of abuse, and various methods of treating and preventing child abuse.
Abstract
Both professionals and nonprofessionals identified a history of abuse within a family, socio-situational stressors, and global social incompetence of parents as the most common factors leading to child abuse. These findings support recently developed integrative models of child abuse. The available range of interventions in Croatia are primarily oriented toward helping a child after abuse occurs; removal from the home is the most common type of social service agency intervention. Preventive programs targeting parents or families at risk of abusing their children are rare. 3 tables and 14 references