Child Abuse: Differential Diagnosis, Differential Treatment (From Child Abuse, P 263-274, 1988 -- See NCJ-116992)

• NCJ Number: 117023
• Author(s): H M Land
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 12 pages
• Sale Source: Phi Delta Kappa
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Reprinted from Child Welfare, V 65, N 1 (January-February 1986).

Annotation

This study examined levels of psychological distress in a sample of 89 male and female suspected child abusers, as well as relationship between treatment intensity and rehabilitation.

Abstract

Subjects included all clients admitted between July 1975 and January 1981 from a residential nursery and a therapeutic day program for families with children under 2 years old. Families had been ordered by the juvenile court for treatment for profound problems of physical abuse, severe neglect, failure to thrive, or high risk for abuse. Of the sample, 69.7 percent showed abnormal elevation on scales measuring psychological distress. The most frequent profile elevations were on measures of psychopathic deviation and hypomania, followed by paranoia and schizophrenia. The number of months clients participated in treatment was positively related to the degree of habilitation. Improvement in self began to occur in substantial proportions only in clients receiving 4 or more months of treatment, and clients receiving 4 or more months of treatment showed greater improvement in both self and in relation to the child than those receiving less treatment. While number of treatment hours per week also was significantly and positively related to rehabilitation, rehabilitation remained contingent upon the number of months spent in treatment. 2 notes and 14 references.