NCJ Number
168338
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1997) Pages: 257-271
Date Published
1997
Length
15 pages
Annotation
During the past 17 years, several studies have described child maltreatment in contemporary Greece; most have used small clinical samples, but findings are comparable to those of other countries and results support the psychopathological causality of child maltreatment.
Abstract
The research review shows that child maltreatment in Greece can be traced to Greek mythology, history, and literature and that Greek society has always used passive or active violence toward dependent members. More specifically, several studies on child-rearing practices and child socialization reveal the extensive use of physical punishment when children oppose parental authority and indicate high parental expectations are often linked with children's school performance. Still other studies have assessed the effectiveness of social policies and the appropriateness of child protection services. The author proposes the adoption of an operational definition of child maltreatment that takes into account community attitudes and culture and recommends the application of an ecological model that stresses the mutual interaction of different systems and their cumulative effects on child maltreatment. The author also suggests social policy measures be introduced in the field of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. 48 references and 2 tables