CHILD ABUSE

• NCJ Number: 52341
• Author(s): R S KEMPE; C H KEMPE
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 144 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; William T. Grant Foundation
• Corporate Author: Harvard University Press
• Sale Source: Harvard University Press
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: ONE OF THE DEVELOPING CHILD SERIES

Annotation

THIS BOOK DESCRIBES WAYS IN WHICH CHILD ABUSE OCCURS, CHARACTERISTICS OF ABUSERS AND VICTIMS, PREVENTION MEASURES, AND TREATMENT PROGRAMS. THE NEED FOR COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND LEGAL SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS IS NOTED.

Abstract

CHILD ABUSE OCCURS IN THE PRESENCE OF FOUR FACTORS: (1) THE PARENTS MUST HAVE A BACKGROUND OF EMOTIONAL OR PHYSICAL DEPRIVATION AND PERHAPS ABUSE; (2) A CHILD MUST BE SEEN AS UNLOVABLE OR DISAPPOINTING; (3) THERE MUST BE A CRISIS; AND (4) NO EFFECTIVE LINES OF COMMUNICATION ARE AVAILABLE TO AID THE PARENT AT THE MOMENT OF CRISIS. ABUSIVE PARENTS SUFFER FROM FEELINGS OF HELPLESS FRUSTRATION AND ISOLATION, AND ARE GENERALLY LACKING IN CHILD-CARE SKILLS. CHILD ABUSE USUALLY OCCURS DURING THE FIRST 3 YEARS OF THE CHILD'S LIFE; A CHILD'S CRYING TRIGGERS MOST CHILD ABUSE. EARLY EVIDENCE OF NEGLECT IS THE FAILURE-TO-THRIVE SYNDROME; ABUSE CAN BE DETECTED IN THE CHILD'S DELAY IN MOTOR, SOCIAL, COGNITIVE, AND SPEECH DEVELOPMENT. BEHAVIORAL EFFECTS OF ABUSE IN OLDER CHILDREN CAN INCLUDE AGGRESSIVE AND HYPERACTIVE ACTIVITY, DEPRESSION, LACK OF TRUST IN OTHERS, AND UNDERACHIEVEMENT IN SCHOOL AND IN COMMUNICATION SKILLS. TYPES OF SEXUAL ABUSE INCLUDE PEDOPHILIA, VIOLENT MOLESTATION AND RAPE, AND INCEST. EFFECTS OF SEXUAL ABUSE ON THE VICTIMS' BEHAVIOR AND TREATMENT FOR VICTIMS AND FAMILIES ARE DESCRIBED. ABOUT 90 PERCENT OF ABUSIVE PARENTS CAN BE AIDED BY LONG-TERM THERAPY, CRISIS NURSERIES THAT WILL CARE FOR CHILDREN TEMPORARILY, AND HOTLINES FOR CRISIS INTERVENTION. THE REMAINING 10 PERCENT OF ABUSIVE PARENTS ARE UNTREATABLE. THIS GROUP INCLUDES PSYCHOTICS WHOSE CHILDREN FORM PART OF THEIR DELUSIONAL SYSTEMS, AGGRESSIVE SOCIOPATHS, FANATICS WITH AN ENCAPSULATED PSYCHOSIS WHO COULD KILL THEIR CHILDREN, RETARDED PARENTS, ALCOHOLICS, AND DRUG ADDICTS. TREATMENT FOR ABUSED CHILDREN CAN INCLUDE CRISIS TREATMENT IN HOSPITALS, INDIVIDUAL PLAY THERAPY, THERAPEUTIC PLAY SCHOOL, AND REMOVAL FROM THE HOME. THE CONCLUDING CHAPTERS CONSIDER THE EVENTUAL OUTCOMES OF CHILD ABUSE ON AN INDIVIDUAL'S BEHAVIOR AND LIFE, COMMUNITY PROGRAMS DIRECTED AT CHILD ABUSE, AND LEGAL RIGHTS FOR CHILDREN. REFERENCES, A LIST OF SUGGESTED READINGS, AND AN INDEX ARE INCLUDED. (DAG)