INTERVENTIONS INTO CHILD ABUSE AND DELINQUENCY (FROM CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT - ISSUES ON INNOVATION AND IMPLEMENTATION - V 1, 1978, BY MICHAEL L LAUDERDALE SEE NCJ-59268)

• NCJ Number: 59275
• Author(s): S VEXLER; E RAFFANIELLO
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 8 pages
• Corporate Author: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A CAUSAL MODEL RELATING CHILD ABUSE TO DELINQUENCY IS DEVELOPED, AND INTERVENTIONS AIMED AT THE COMMUNITY, PARENTS, AND THE ABUSED CHILDREN ARE PROPOSED.

Abstract

IN EXAMINING THE CAUSAL INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF CHILD ABUSE AND DELINQUENCY, THE FOLLOWING ARE DISCUSSED AS ANTECEDENTS TO BOTH CHILD ABUSE AND DELINQUENCY: (1) FRUSTRATION IN PARENTS (CAUSED BY ECONOMIC NEEDS AND INABILITY TO CONTROL CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR THROUGH NONABUSIVE MEANS), (2) POOR IMPULSE CONTROL BY PARENTS, (3) MODELING OF POOR IMPULSE CONTROL BY PARENTS, (4) POOR VERBAL SKILLS IN PARENTS, AND (5) SUBCULTURAL VALUES CONDONING/ENCOURAGING PHYSICAL AGGRESSION. FROM THE CAUSAL MODEL, THREE ASSUMPTIONS ARE MADE ABOUT THE BEST CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS FOR INTERVENTIONS. FIRST, THE PROBLEM OF ABUSE SHOULD BE TREATED AS BEHAVIORAL, WHICH MEANS THAT IF PARENTS CAN BE STOPPED FROM ENGAGING IN ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR, THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED. SECONDLY THE CHILD ABUSE IS SUPPORTED BY CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY FORCES AND IS THEREFORE A COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY. THIRDLY THE EFFECTS OF CHILD ABUSE ARE MORE SEVERE AND BECOME MORE FIRMLY ESTABLISHED THE OLDER THE CHILD, WHICH MEANS CHILD ABUSE SHOULD BE TREATED AS A DEVELOPMENTAL PROBLEM. THE INTERVENTIONS PROPOSED FOLLOW FROM THESE ASSUMPTIONS. USING THE THREE FOCUSES OF COMMUNITY, PARENTS, AND CHILDREN, INTERVENTIONS ARE PROPOSED IN CHILD ABUSE SITUATIONS WHICH ARE TAILORED TO PARTICULAR CAUSAL EXPLANATIONS; FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE CAUSAL EXPLANATION FOR CHILD ABUSE IS POOR ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, INTERVENTION REGARDING THE COMMUNITY WOULD BE TO INCREASE COMMUNITY RESOURCES SUCH AS DAY CARE AND JOB PLACEMENT; INTERVENTION WITH THE PARENTS WOULD INVOLVE HELPING THEM DEVELOP SKILLS TO INCREASE FAMILY INCOME AND DEAL WITH STRESS WITHOUT AGGRESSION; INTERVENTION WITH THE CHILD WOULD INVOLVE THE PROVISION OF DAY CARE AND OTHER ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE HOME. A FURTHER MODEL IS DEVELOPED TO PRESENT INTERVENTION SUGGESTIONS ACCORDING TO FAMILY DEFICITS AT VARIOUS AGE RANGES FOR THE CHILD. TABLES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)