NCJ Number
59297
Date Published
1978
Length
5 pages
Annotation
THE GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO CONSTRUCT AND VALIDATE A TEST INSTRUMENT FOR USE AS A QUICK SELF-ADMINISTERED SCREENING DEVICE IN ASSESSING AN INDIVIDUAL'S POTENTIAL FOR CHILD ABUSE.
Abstract
LITERATURE ON CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT WAS REVIEWED TO DELINEATE PERSONALITY TRAITS CHARACTERISTIC OF ABUSING AND NEGLECTING PARENTS. VARIOUS PERSONALITY TRAITS WERE GROUPED ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT GENERAL AREAS OR CLUSTERS. SOME OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY CITED TRAITS WERE UNREALISTIC CHILD REARING ATTITUDES AND EXPECTATIONS, ANXIETY OVER A CHILD'S BEHAVIOR, PROBLEMS IN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, FEELINGS OF INADEQUACY, FEELINGS OF ISOLATION AND LONELINESS, DEPRESSION, VULNERABILITY, INSECURITY, INABILITY TO HANDLE STRESS, RIGID ATTITUDES, IMPULSIVITY, DEPENDENCY, IMMATURITY, NEGATIVE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES INCLUDING ABUSE AND NEGLECT, AND PROBLEMS IN PARENTAL RELATIONSHIPS. FOUR BROAD PERSONALITY TRAIT AREAS WERE THEN IDENTIFIED: (1) INADEQUATE CHILD REARING ATTITUDES AND EXPECTATIONS; (2) FEELINGS OF ISOLATION AND LONELINESS; (3) NEGATIVE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES; AND (4) PROBLEMS IN PARENTAL RELATIONSHIPS. A PRELIMINARY CHILD ABUSE POTENTIAL (CAP) INVENTORY WAS CONSTRUCTED AND SUBSEQUENTLY MODIFIED SEVERAL TIMES. THE FINAL FORM OF THE CAP INVENTORY CONSISTED OF 334 ITEMS, STATEMENTS WITH WHICH SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO AGREE OR DISAGREE. IT WAS ADMINISTERED TO 19 ABUSING AND 19 MATCHED NONABUSING PARENTS IN THE WESTERN PART OF NORTH CAROLINA. STATISTICAL DATA OBTAINED FROM ITEM ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT APPROXIMATELY 38 PERCENT OF ALL INVENTORY ITEMS SIGNIFICANTLY DISCRIMINATED BETWEEN ABUSING AND NONABUSING PARENTS. BASED ON THIS FINDING, THE CAP INVENTORY WAS REVISED TO INCLUDE 160 ITEMS. ALTHOUGH THE FINAL FORM OF THE CAP INVENTORY-SCORING SYSTEM HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED, A SCORING FORMAT IS HYPOTHESIZED. DATA ON INVENTORY ITEMS AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)