NCJ Number
70566
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: (1980) Pages: 75-88
Date Published
1980
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Results are reported from a study that examined the extent to which stressful life experiences are associated with child abuse.
Abstract
Data were drawn from a nationally representative sample of 1,146 parents. Stress was measured by an instrument patterned after the Holmes and Rahe scale. It consisted of a list of 18 stressful events which could have occurred during the year covered by the survey. Child abuse was measured by the severe violence index of the family Conflict Tactics Scales. This determines whether during the past year the parent had punched, kicked, bit, hit the child with an object, beat up the child, or attacked the child with a knife or gun. Findings show that parents who experienced none of the 18 stresses in the index had the lowest rate of child abuse. As the number of stressors experienced during the year increased, so did the rate of child abuse. This was most clear in the case of the husbands. The second part of the analysis was based on the theory that stress by itself does not necessarily produce child abuse. It was theorized that other factors must be present. Several such factors were examined by focusing on parents who were in the top quartile in stresses experienced. These parents were divided into low and high groups on the basis of variables which might account for the correlation between stress and child abuse. It was reasoned that if the theory is correct, the parents who were high in the presumed intervening variable should have high rates of child abuse, whereas the parents in the low category of these variables should not be more assaultive than the sample as a whole. Results were generally consistent with this theory. Implications of the findings are discussed. Tabular and graphic data and references are provided.