Children of Abuse and Neglect

Author(s):  
Faye Riley ◽  
Anna Bokszczanin ◽  
Cecilia A. Essau

This chapter gives a brief background to the topic, overviewing the historical context, definitions, prevalence, assessment methods, and risk factors that can contribute to child maltreatment. It then focuses on child abuse and neglect in the context of emotion regulation, reviewing how abuse and neglect can lead to the development of emotion regulation problems, through processes of caregiver socialisation and neurobiological changes, and how these emotion regulation difficulties may manifest in abused children. The chapter goes on to discuss how the psychological and social problems associated with child abuse are associated with maladaptive emotion regulation capacities, and the processes by which emotion regulation can heighten the risk of continued abuse and exacerbate negative outcomes and psychopathology. Finally, this chapter assesses how emotion regulation has become an important target of clinical interventions for maltreated children.

Author(s):  
Lea Tufford

This chapter examines the risk factors for child abuse and neglect from the perspective of the child, parent, family, community, and culture. There are many issues that may contribute to child abuse, but some factors increase the risk to children and make them more vulnerable to abuse. They can be found in the background of parents, in the environmental situation, and in attributes of the child themselves. The child’s culture and level of community support may also be risk factors in child abuse and/or neglect. Risk factors are characteristics associated with child maltreatment and may or may not be direct causes.


Author(s):  
Lea Tufford

This chapter examines the protective factors for child maltreatment from child, parent, family, and community aspects as there are individual differences in how children, parents, families, and communities respond to maltreatment. Protective factors have not been studied as extensively or rigorously as risk factors; however, they can promote health and well-being for maltreated children. These factors can also help to develop interventions to reduce impairment following exposure to child maltreatment. Resilience is another term for protective factors and focuses on examining children’s capacity to overcome or manage child abuse and neglect and achieve positive developmental outcomes. Despite the growing emphasis on resilience and protective factors, it must be understood that the existence of protective factors does not deny the negative consequences of child maltreatment or that maltreatment is wrong.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 374-393
Author(s):  
Sarah Whitcombe-Dobbs ◽  
Michael Tarren-Sweeney

In families where child abuse and neglect have already occurred, there is a strong imperative to provide interventions that reduce or eliminate harm done to children. Parenting programs lack tailoring for the needs of maltreating parents, and maltreating parents themselves are a heterogeneous group with varying needs. The literature on the effectiveness of parenting interventions for high-risk parents is limited, and this scarcity of knowledge can result in child protection cases being treated as a natural experiment. For children who experience ongoing maltreatment by their parents, the most stringent test for effectiveness goes beyond an improvement in positive parenting skills—child abuse and neglect must reduce or be eliminated. The present review addressed the research question What evidence is there that parenting interventions conducted with parents who maltreat their children, reduce the incidence of further child maltreatment? Databases were searched for trials of parenting interventions where participants were maltreating parents and outcome data included an objective measure of child abuse and neglect. Nine studies satisfied the selection criteria and are summarized. Four studies reported a statistically significant difference between groups in favor of the intervention group for two parenting interventions, Parent–Child Interaction Therapy and SafeCare. However, the review concludes that none of the reviewed parenting interventions have been demonstrated to be effective at reducing all types of child maltreatment through a high-quality RCT. Previous research is compromised by several critical methodological limitations, including low participant recruitment and retention, and narrow selection criteria. Recommendations are offered for future research on parenting interventions that aim to reduce child abuse and neglect.


2019 ◽  
Vol 207 (7) ◽  
pp. 538-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brisa Burgos Dias Macedo ◽  
Cristiane von Werne Baes ◽  
Itiana Castro Menezes ◽  
Mario F. Juruena

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document