Suzanne Salzinger

A Longitudinal Analysis of Risk Factors for Child Maltreatment: Findings of a 17-Year Prospective Study of Officially Recorded and Self-Reported Child Abuse and Neglect.

OBJECTIVE To identify demographic, family, parent, and child factors prospectively associated with risk for child abuse and neglect among families in the community, using data on child maltreatment obtained from both official records and youth self-reports. METHOD Surveys assessing demographic variables, family relationships, parental behavior, and characteristics of parents and children were administered to a representative sample of 644 families in upstate New York on four occasions between 1975 and 1992. Data on child abuse and neglect were obtained from New York State records and retrospective self-report instruments administered when youths were > or = 18 years old. RESULTS Logistic regression analyses indicated that different patterns of risk factors predicted the occurrence of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect, although maternal youth and maternal sociopathy predicted the occurrence of all three forms of child maltreatment. In addition, the prevalence of child abuse or neglect increased from 3% when no risk factors were present to 24% when > or = 4 risk factors were present. State records and self-reports of child maltreatment did not correspond in most cases when maltreatment was reported through at least one data source, underlining the importance of obtaining data from both official records and self-reports. CONCLUSIONS Assessment of a number of risk factors may permit health professionals to identify parents and children who are at high risk for child maltreatment, facilitating appropriate implementation of prevention and treatment interventions.

Mothers' personal social networks and child maltreatment.

The social networks of 32 mothers in families being treated in a hospital-based program for indicated cases of child abuse and neglect were compared to the networks of a demographically comparable control group of 24 mothers whose children were not subject to maltreatment. The clinic mothers were found to be more isolated and more insulated from other people in their -networks. Their isolation reflected a deficiency primarily in their peer connections, and their insularity served to separate their immediate families from their peer connections and from the rest of their families. Child and adolescent maltreatment has become more noticeable to the public in recent years as our information-gathering systems have become more efficient and reports issued have revealed its deleterious effects on children (American Health Association, 1976; American Humane Association, 1978; Konopka, 1975; Straus, Gelles, & Steinmetz, 1980; Child Protective Services, Note 1). Severe maltreatment of children by members of their families is unsanctioned by all social communities. There are cultural differences in disciplinary child-rearing practices that share some of the attributes of violence, as described in Erlangers (1974) review, but nevertheless, there are limits and standards set by all social groups regulating such behavior and specifying the contexts in which and the extent to which it is permitted. The behavior we are concerned with, child maltreatment severe enough to be indicated by Child Protective Services, falls outside these limits and is considered a problem in every social group. Its persistence within the

Pathologic adaptation to community violence among inner-city youth

The study tests the thesis of pathologic adaptation for youth exposed to community violence, where high levels of exposure to community violence lead to increased aggressive behavior but decreased psychological distress. Four hundred seventy-one 6th graders and 1 of their parents were interviewed. The results showed, for a small but important subgroup of youth, that high levels of exposure to community violence were associated with more child- and parent-reported aggressive behavior and less child-reported psychological distress. Targeted prevention strategies for these high-risk youth are especially needed.

Normalization of violence among inner-city youth: a formulation for research.

A causal model is formulated for the thesis that in inner-city youth exposed to high levels of violence, cognitions that normalize violence mitigate affective effects of exposure while increasing risk for violent behavior, thus perpetuating violence in the very process of adapting to it psychologically. Gender differences in the cognitive normalization of violence may explain gender differences in affective and behavioral effects of exposure. Empirical studies are needed to directly test this model.

Effects of Partner Violence and Physical Child Abuse on Child Behavior: A Study of Abused and Comparison Children

This study tests a model of the effects on child behavioral outcome of the childs exposure to partner violence and child abuse, in children who have experienced the two forms of victimization either separately or together. Recognizing that family contextual factors play an important role in influencing child outcome, an ecological model is proposed that designates family stress as the principal exogenous factor, with effects on child outcome mediated through caretaker distress, partner violence, and child abuse. The sample consists of 100 confirmed cases of physically abused New York City schoolchildren, ages 9 to 12 years, and their families, and 100 nonmaltreated classmates, matched for gender, age, and, as closely as possible, for race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, and their families. Child behavioral outcome is assessed by classmates for antisocial, prosocial, and withdrawn behavior and by parents and teachers for externalizing and internalizing problem behavior. Results are generally consistent with the hypothesis that partner violence and caretaker distress, both associated with family stress, increase the risk for child abuse and thereby raise the childs risk for poor outcome. Implications of differences among raters for the models applicability, and implications of the results for clinical intervention, are discussed.

Exposure to Community Violence: Processes That Increase the Risk for Inner-City Middle School Children.

An ecologically framed model is presented describing processes accounting for early adolescents’ exposure to community violence in high-risk neighborhoodsas a function of risk factors in four ecological domains assessed in the prior year. The model was tested for hypothesized pathways along which the combined domains of risk might operate. The children were interviewed about their exposure to community violence. Data on the risk factors were obtained from the children themselves and their parents, classmates, and teachers. All four domains—family and household context, negative parenting, deviant behavior of friends, and the children’s own behavioral characteristics and cognition—contributed to the children’s risk for exposure 1 year later. As hypothesized, deviant behavior of friends and the children’s own behavior and cognition were found to mediate the effects of stressful family and household context and negative parenting on later risk for exposure.

Adolescent Physical Abuse and Risk for Suicidal Behaviors

The present study assessed the contribution of physical abuse to increased risk for suicidal behaviors in physically abused adolescents compared with nonabused adolescents. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors were assessed using the Suicide Probability Scale. Physically abused adolescents had higher mean scores on the Hopelessness, Negative Self-Evaluation, Hostility, and Suicide Ideation subscales. Significant predictors of subscale and overall scores included parent and adolescent psychopathology, poor academic performance, and decreased family cohesiveness. Physical abuse was a significant predictor of negative self-evaluation scores. It was concluded that physically abused adolescents experienced a combination of risk factors related to increased suicidal thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. Furthermore, a model proposing an indirect relationship between physical abuse and suicide risk was described.

Risk for Physical Child Abuse and the Personal Consequences for its Victims

This article summarizes the recent literature on the effects of physical abuse on children in the domains of neurological impairment, intellectual functioning, socioemotional functioning, social behavior, and social cognition. New empirical data are presented on dysfunctional peer relationships in school-age children. The findings are interpreted within a theoretical framework composed of three elements: the conceptualization of abusive parenting as on a continuum with the parenting process in general, the effect of abuse-attributable changes in childrens behavior on their future behavior, and the continuing interaction between childrens dysfunctional behavior and their social environment. In addition, a multivariate family risk model for child abuse is offered and tested using a path analysis.

The Role of Adolescent Physical Abuse in Adult Intimate Partner Violence

This study’s primary aims were to examine whether a sample of young adults, aged 23 to 31, who had been documented as physically abused by their parent(s) during adolescence would be more likely to aggress, both physically and verbally, against their intimate partners compared with nonabused young adults and whether abuse history was (along with other risk factors) a significant predictor of intimate partner physical and emotional violence perpetration or victimization. In this longitudinal study, 67 abused and 78 nonabused adults (of an original sample of 198 adolescents) completed the Modified Conflict Tactics Scale and the Jealousy and Emotional Control Scales. Nonabused comparison adolescents were matched for age, gender, and community income. As adults, participants with abuse histories had significantly higher rates of intimate partner physical violence and verbal aggression than did comparison participants. Multivariate logistic regressions indicated that adults with histories of physical abuse were more than twice as likely to be physically violent and almost six times more likely to be verbally aggressive to their intimate partners than were comparison participants. Having had an alcohol use disorder, being married to or living with a partner, and perceiving one’s partner as controlling were also significantly associated with physical violence. Jealousy and feeling controlled by one’s partner were also significant predictors of verbal aggression. These findings underscore the importance of preventing adolescent abuse as a means of decreasing the incidence of intimate partner physical violence in adulthood.

Physically abused adolescents: behavior problems, functional impairment, and comparison of informants' reports.

Objective. This study, like earlier studies that focused on younger abused children, ascertained whether physically abused adolescents exhibited increased internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Relevance to pediatric practice is discussed. Design. A cross-sectional design was used to compare the behavior of physically abused adolescents and comparison adolescents using self-reports, parent reports, and teacher reports. The level of agreement among raters was also examined. Participants. The subjects were 99 physically abused adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years, who were recruited from Child Protective Services. Comparison subjects were 99 community-recruited nonabused adolescents who were matched for age, gender, and income with the abused adolescents. Measures. The behavior of the adolescents was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist, and the comparable Youth Self-Report and Teacher Report Form, which are widely used measures of behavioral and emotional problems. The Child Global Assessment Scale was also used as a measure of functional impairment and of the need for mental health services. Results. Parents and teachers rated the problems of abused adolescents as significantly greater than the problems of nonabused adolescents on all checklist subscales. Abused adolescents reported significantly greater problems only on externalizing behavior subscales. In addition, based on interviewer ratings, physically abused adolescents exhibited significantly greater functional impairment. Conclusions. Similar to previous research on abused children, physically abused adolescents exhibit externalizing and internalizing behavior problems and experience greater functional impairment. Parent, teacher, and adolescent reports of externalizing behaviors were similar, but physically abused adolescents reported fewer internalizing behaviors than did the other informants.