NCJ Number
1868
Date Published
1967
Length
125 pages
Annotation
EMPIRICAL STUDY OF CHILD AND FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS IN ABUSIVE AND NONABUSIVE FAMILIES.
Abstract
THE CHILDREN SELECTED WERE FORMER PATIENTS OF CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PITTSBURGH WITH INJURIES THOUGHT TO RESULT FROM ABUSE. DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ABUSIVE AND NONABUSIVE FAMILIES WERE COMPARED FOR DIFFERENCES. ABUSIVE FAMILIES, BECAUSE OF CONSTANT STRESS, WERE FOUND TO HAVE A LOWER THRESHOLD FOR FRUSTRATION WITHOUT RESORTING TO VIOLENCE. SIMILARLY, ATTRIBUTES, PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT, INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY, AND SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT OF ABUSED AND NONABUSED CHILDREN WERE COMPARED. THE PRESUMPTION WAS THAT THE CHILD, HIMSELF, BY STIMULATING REACTIONS, MIGHT BE A FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO ABUSE. HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND. THE TERM ABUSE AS USED, INCLUDED NEGLECT AND FAILURE TO PROTECT THE CHILD FROM ASSAULT BY OTHER ADULTS. REFERENCES AT THE END OF EACH CHAPTER.