Troubled Youth, Troubled Families: The Dynamics of Adolescent Maltreatment (From Child Maltreatment: Theory and Research on the Causes and Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect, P 685-706, 1989, Dante Cicchetti and Vicki Carlson, eds. -- See NCJ-123373)

• NCJ Number: 123377
• Author(s): J Garbarino
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 22 pages
• Sale Source: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This analysis of adolescence and parental abuse and neglect of adolescence emphasizes that adolescence is more often a period of change and adaptation rather than stress and conflict in the family and that adolescent victims of maltreatment are less socially competent and show more developmental problems than their peers.

Abstract

Several studies have shown that adolescence is relatively free of major conflicts and stresses for about 80 percent of adolescents. However, conflict occurs more often in authoritarian or permissive homes than in homes in which the parents are authoritative. In addition, abusive families behave differently from nonabusive families in parent-child conflicts in that nonabusive families end these negative interactions quickly, while abusive families become enmeshed in escalating conflict. Moreover, the available research indicates that the incidence of adolescent maltreatment equals or exceeds the incidence of child maltreatment and that psychological and sexual abuse is particularly prevalent among adolescents. Furthermore, in contrast to findings for child maltreatment, adolescent maltreatment occurs with equal frequency in families of all socioeconomic levels. Families at high risk for adolescent maltreatment are also more likely to contain stepparents. However, adolescent abuse is less likely to be transmitted to the next generation than is child abuse. 66 references.