NCJ Number
108579
Date Published
1987
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Child abuse among black families is best conceptualized as a symptom of other problems, particularly poverty, social isolation, and stressful relationships with and among kin.
Abstract
Study data came from the 94 black families that took part in a larger study of the pediatric social illnesses of abuse, neglect, failure to thrive, accidents, and ingestions. The children had all been hospitalized and were 4 years old or under. Each child was matched with a control based on race and socioeconomic status. The main information source was a maternal interview that focused on family structure, housing, employment, finances, availability of relatives and friends, mobility, psychological stresses, and the respondent's childhood history and experiences in caring for the child. Additional data came from a paternal interview, the child's medical records, and a Vineland Social Maturity index derived from the maternal interview. Black child abuse cases differed from their controls in their higher level of social isolation, greater geographic mobility, maternal childhood history of corporal punishment extending through adolescence, and a generally more stressful current living situation. In contrast, maternal depression and poor mobility were noted more often in black families whose children's injuries were seen as accidental. Society needs to strengthen the vulnerable families by providing financial support, a line of contact with someone to help in times of personal distress, diagnostic consultation, and therapeutic intervention to promote the development and health of the children. Data tables and 21 references.