NCJ Number
208510
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 26 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2002 Pages: 407-424
Date Published
April 2002
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examined the link between parental negative affect and parent-to-child aggression (PTCA) for parents (n=49) reported to child protective services for physical abuse.
Abstract
The selected families were not in psychiatric crisis, and their circumstances did not preclude treatment participation. The minor and major physical violence subscales of the Conflict Tactics Scale were used to measure PTCA. The Beck Depression Inventory was used to measure the severity of depressive symptoms, and the Brief Symptom Inventory measured psychological distress. A battery of instruments measured parental attributions or cognitions in relation to the child as well as family climate and dynamics. The relationship between the negative affects and the outcome variable was first examined by using Pearson correlations. This was done with the individual measures of negative affect, i.e., depression, anxiety, and hostility. The outcome variables were the scores for minor physical violence and severe physical violence. For the negative affects related to the outcome variable, analyses were conducted to examine whether the affect contributed to the outcome variable after controlling for the other predictors. After individually controlling for other predictors, the contributions of negative affect to PTCA were found for minor physical violence but not severe physical violence. Findings were strongest for depression and to a lesser extent for hostility. The influence of parental negative affect on PTCA suggests the need to study the effects of emotion-focused treatments for physically abusive parents. The findings also indicate that PTCA may have qualities of impulsive aggression, which is a form of aggression driven by negative affect. 2 tables and 78 references