NCJ Number
219680
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 31 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2007 Pages: 657-670
Date Published
June 2007
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study examined the self-reported incidence of child and partner physical and emotional abuse in the north of Portugal and explored attitudes regarding these forms of family violence.
Abstract
Results indicated that 25.9 percent of participants reported at least one act of emotional or physical abuse towards a child during the previous year while 26.2 percent reported abuse of a partner. Of those reporting the abuse of a partner during the previous year, 12 percent reported at least one act of physical abuse and 23.7 percent reported at least one act of emotional abuse. Female participants were more likely to abuse a child while male participants were more likely to abuse an intimate partner. Findings also revealed that both forms of self-reported abuse were associated with low educational and socioeconomic status. The findings on participants’ attitudes towards various forms of family violence indicated a general disapproval for the use of violence against children and within martial relationships. Future research should expand the study to all of Portugal and should include an analysis of the contexts, motives, and interpretations of the reported episodes of family violence. Data were collected between October 2004 and April 2005 by eight psychologists who recruited participants by invitation; all were from two-parent families with children under the age of 18 years. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire regarding their use of physical and emotional violence against a child or partner during the previous 12 months and their attitudes concerning family violence. Data were analyzed using univariate and bivariate analyses. Tables, references