NCJ Number
190262
Date Published
2001
Length
274 pages
Annotation
In this book, an attempt was made to use child abuse to illustrate ideas about patterns, such as psychological and family patterns, and to use ideas about patterns to clarify the issues in child abuse. Identifying these patterns offers an effective and purposeful intervention. This book assisted in the understanding of these patterns.
Abstract
The book addressed the complexities involved in the assessment of abused children and abusive families. It highlighted a number of issues that had proven difficult for child welfare professionals making decisions on a daily basis about the lives of children and families. The first section examined the social construction of child abuse and provided a historical overview of the maltreatment of children, aiding in the misunderstandings that surrounded the present definition. In the second section, a summary was provided of the impact of abuse on children, drawing particular attention to the developmental consequences of exposure to violence. The third section examined the factors associated with abusive parenting. In addition, the complex interaction among these factors were highlighted. The final section examined the sociopolitical factors that influenced the child welfare system, and the way these affected which families entered the system and the responses they received. Case studies and theoretical discussions demonstrated the ways family patterns were replicated in a child's psyche and the ways the grown-up child replicated the familiar family pattern.