NCJ Number
134008
Editor(s)
R H Starr Jr,
D A Wolfe
Date Published
1991
Length
318 pages
Annotation
This book reviews findings from current longitudinal research on the effects of child abuse and neglect and also discusses the methodological issues associated with such studies.
Abstract
The introductory chapter examines the intergenerational transmission of abusive behavior and its adult sequelae. This is followed by chapters on three innovative longitudinal investigations. The first focuses on the value of an at-risk approach to research; the second assesses structural equations modeling, a relatively new statistical method; and the third argues for the usefulness of a transactional approach to the longitudinal study of various forms of maltreatment. Other chapters focus on the interpretation of existing research and the conduct of future studies. Discussions of crucial definitional issues are complemented by analyses of design considerations that have not yet been resolved. The remaining chapters address basic measurement issues, especially the assessment of parental personality and psychopathology, psychological abuse, parental childrearing belief systems, parent-child attachment and other domains of parent-child interaction, and the impact of maltreatment on physical and emotional development. Chapter references and a subject index