CHILD ABUSE - A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH AND THE THEORY (FROM VIOLENCE AND THE FAMILY, 1978, BY J P MARTIN - SEE NCJ-54634)

• NCJ Number: 54637
• Author(s): L J ALLAN
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 37 pages
• Corporate Author: John Wiley and Sons
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATED WITH DEFINING CHILD ABUSE, THE CONTENT AND VALIDITY OF CHILD ABUSE RESEARCH, THE DIRECTION PROVIDED BY CURRENT KNOWLEDGE, AND NEW DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH ARE DISCUSSED.

Abstract

DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATED WITH DEFINING CHILD ABUSE ARE CITED, BECAUSE SUCH A DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS THE COMPLEX NATURE OF THE PHENOMENON AND THE EFFECT WHICH DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS WILL HAVE ON THE SCOPE AND RESULTS OF RESEARCH. ALSO, AN EXAMINATION OF DEFINITION IS CONSIDERED TO ILLUSTRATE THE DIFFICULTIES FACED IN TRYING TO DRAW GENERAL CONCLUSIONS FROM STUDIES WHICH HAVE STARTED WITH DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS. THEORIES AND FINDINGS IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF RESEARCH ARE DISCUSSED: PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF ABUSING PARENTS, THE DEVELOPMENT OF TYPOLOGIES OF ABUSING PARENTS, THE CHILDHOOD HISTORY OF ABUSING PARENTS; MARITAL DIFFICULTIES OF ABUSING PARENTS, CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ABUSED CHILD, AND THE CHARACERISTICS OF SOCIAL STRESSES ON ABUSING PARENTS. A LONG LIST OF FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH CHILD ABUSE IS NOTED, AND IT IS CONCLUDED THAT WITHOUT SOME ATTEMPT TO WEIGHT OR ORDER THE FACTORS SO THEIR RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION CAN BE ASSESSED, THE INFORMATION DOES LITTLE TO FURTHER KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE INTERRELATIONSHIP OF THE VARIABLES IDENTIFIED. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT A MORE ADEQUATE MODEL OF VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY BE DEVELOPED WHICH ACKNOWLEDGES BOTH THE ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL FACTORS AND THAT OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND THEIR INEVITABLE INTERACTION. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT A SYSTEM BE DEVISED WHICH WOULD WEIGHT FACTORS THOUGHT TO BE MOST INFLUENTIAL IN PRODUCING VIOLENT BEHAVIOR IN DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS, WITH FOUR INITIAL CATEGORIES: (1) PARENTS WHOSE VIOLENCE STEMS LARGELY FROM EXTERNAL PRESSURES, (2) PARENTS WHOSE EARLY LEARNING EXPERIENCES ARE LIKELY TO GIVE A PREDISPOSITION TOWARD VIOLENT BEHAVIOR, (3) PARENTS WHOSE VIOLENCE STEMS FROM EMOTIONAL DEFICITS THAT LEAD TO EXTREME EGOCENTRICITY, AND (4) PARENTS WHOSE VIOLENCE IS A SYMPTOM OF SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS. A SUMMARY TABULATION IS PROVIDED OF RESEARCH STUDIES INVOLVING THE USE OF CONTROL GROUPS. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (RCB)