NCJ Number
145851
Journal
Infant Mental Health Journal Volume: 13 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1992) Pages: 276-287
Date Published
1992
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This Australian study examines four child-abuse case histories that have similar atypical dynamics.
Abstract
Severe infant physical abuse is usually associated with a parental history of abuse and deprivation, family instability, extreme family stressors, a failure in parent- child bonding, or parental mental illness. In all four cases analyzed in this study, the parent abused the child in the first few months postpartum. In each case, serious injury was inflicted on the baby (fractures or neurological damage from shaking injuries). Atypically, the abuses occurred in the context of a planned pregnancy, good general care of the baby, and appropriate parental responsiveness to the baby. All the babies had been thriving physically, cognitively, and emotionally. Examination of the parents by experienced psychiatrist showed no significant findings of psychosis, depression, or personality disorder. The parents were also more articulate and affluent than typical abusing parents. None of the parents reported being physically abused or neglected as a child. All the parents used denial to deal with conflicts and longstanding difficulty in expressing any ambivalence in primary relationships. The child abuse apparently stemmed from a momentary breakdown in the parent's defenses against overt ambivalence toward the baby and other attachment figures. Three to 7 years later, there had been no further abuse of the children. 9 references