MOST COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CHILD ABUSE (FROM CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT - ISSUES ON INNOVATION AND IMPLEMENTATION - V 1, 1978, BY MICHAEL L LAUDERDALE, ET AL - SEE NCJ-59268)

• NCJ Number: 59279
• Author(s): R BANDMAN; S BEAVERS
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 5 pages
• Corporate Author: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

TEN OF THE MOST COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CHILD ABUSE ARE IDENTIFIED, THEIR EVOLUTION EXPLAINED, AND THEN COMPARED WITH REALITIES, FOLLOWED BY A DISCUSSION OF THE NEED FOR COMMUNITY REEDUCATION.

Abstract

THE MISCONCEPTION THAT CHILD ABUSE ONLY OCCURS IN LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC FAMILIES IS ROOTED IN MIDDLE AND UPPER CLASS PREJUDICES AND SELF-DECEPTIONS AND FUELED BY STATISTICS DERIVED MAINLY FROM SOURCES INVOLVED IN THE TREATMENT OF CHILD ABUSE IN LOWER CLASS FAMILIES. WHILE STATISTICS ON CHILD ABUSE AMONG MIDDLE AND UPPER CLASS FAMILIES ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN, CURRENT LITERATURE DEMONSTRATES THAT ABUSE OCCURS AT ALL SOCIOECONOMIC LEVELS. THE BELIEF THAT ABUSE OCCURS ONLY BECAUSE PARENTS MISJUDGE THEIR STRENGTH WHEN PHYSICALLY DISCIPLINING THEIR CHILDREN IS A SIMPLISTIC VIEW OF ABUSING BEHAVIOR THAT FAILS TO CONSIDER THE COMPLEX DYNAMICS UNDERLYING PARENTAL ABUSIVE PATTERNS. A POPULAR VIEW THAT ABUSIVE PARENTS ARE USUALLY PSYCHOTIC, BECAUSE ONLY A PSYCHOTIC WOULD VICTIMIZE A DEFENSELESS CHILD, IS REFUTED BY STATISTICS SHOWING THAT LESS THAN 10 PERCENT OF ABUSERS EXHIBIT SERIOUS PSYCHOTIC OR NEUROTIC BEHAVIOR. THE PREVALENT OPINION THAT ABUSED CHILDREN ARE THE RESULT OF UNWANTED PREGNANCIES IS CHALLENGED BY STUDIES THAT REVEAL ABUSING PARENTS AS FREQUENTLY DESIRING CHILDREN FOR THEIR OWN PLEASURE, ONLY TO BECOME FRUSTRATED WITH THE DEMANDS THEIR CHILDREN PLACE ON THEM. THE PREFERRED VIEW THAT CHILDREN ARE SEXUALLY ABUSED PRIMARILY BY ASSAILANTS UNKNOWN TO THEM IS UNDERMINED BY STATISTICS SHOWING THAT THE MAJORITY OF SEXUALLY ABUSED CHILDREN HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED BY SOMEONE KNOWN TO THEM, OFTEN RELATIVES. ALTHOUGH PEOPLE PREFER TO BELIEVE CHILD ABUSE IS A PROBLEM RECOGNIZED BY THE COMMUNITY, THE MASSIVE DENIAL OF THE EXISTENCE OF CHILD ABUSE AND THE ABSENCE OF SERVICES TO DEAL WITH IT DICTATE OTHERWISE. WHILE MANY HOLD THAT ABUSIVE PARENTS CANNOT CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR, TREATMENT EVALUATIONS HAVE SHOWN THIS NOT TO BE THE CASE. THE MISCONCEPTION THAT CHILD ABUSE OCCURS MOST FREQUENTLY IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN IS CHALLENGED BY STATISTICS SHOWING THAT ALMOST HALF OF THOSE ABUSED ARE UNDER 6 YEARS OF AGE. WHILE MANY ARGUE THAT CRIMINAL PROSECUTION IS THE BEST WAY TO HANDLE CHILD ABUSERS, THE DIFFICULTY OF GAINING A CONVICTION AND THE NEED OF ABUSING PARENTS FOR REHABILITATIVE TREATMENT ARGUES FOR CIVIL ACTION BEING THE MOST EFFECTIVE APPROACH. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)