Objective: Contemporary theories of child physical abuse (CPA) emphasize the proximal role of social cognitive processes (many of which are implicit in nature) in the occurrence of parental aggression. However, methods that allow for the systematic examination of implicit cognitive processes during the course of aggressive interactions are needed.…

Objective: The present investigation used event-related potentials (ERPs, N400 and N300) to determine the extent to which individuals at low and high risk for child physical abuse (CPA) have pre-existing positive and negative child-related schemata that can be automatically activated by ambiguous child stimuli. Methods: ERP data were obtained from…

Objective: Although the intergenerational transmission of family violence has been well documented, the mechanisms responsible for this effect have not been fully determined. The present study examined whether trauma symptoms mediate the relationship between a childhood history of child physical abuse (CPA) and adult CPA risk, and whether any such…

Objective: To examine differences in accessibility of positive and negative schema in parents with high and low risk for child physical abuse (CPA). Methods: This study combined picture priming and lexical decision making methods to assess the accessibility of positive and negative words following presentation of child and adult faces. The child…

Objective: Managing a crying infant is a challenge universally faced by new parents. This study examined whether parental interpretations, feelings, and behaviors following exposure to a 2-minute videotaped segment of a crying infant varied as a function of child physical abuse (CPA) risk and exposure to cues of hostility (i.e., hostile priming).…

Objective: Two studies examined whether accessibility of hostility-related schema influenced ratings of ambiguous child pictures. Based on the social information processing model of child physical abuse (CPA), it was expected that CPA risk status would serve as a proxy for chronic accessibility of hostile schema, while priming procedures were used…

Employed the Child Abuse Potential Inventory to evaluate abuse potential in a group of parents (N=200) at risk for problems in parenting. Results showed a significant relationship between Inventory abuse scores and subsequent abuse, and between abuse scores and later neglect. (LLL)

Employed 479 subjects to develop and initially validate a random response scale for the Child Abuse Potential Inventory. Preliminary norm and reliability estimates are reported. Cross-validation and construct validity data are provided, indicating that the random response scale is stable across groups and can discriminate normal responders from…

Investigated the ability of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory to screen for child abuse in a group of spouse abusers. The completed, valid protocols revealed that 36.5 percent of the spouse abusers had elevated child abuse scores, while only 9.1 percent of the nonabusers had elevated abuse scores. (Author/BL)

Examines the role of social support in the discrimination of physical child abusers and nonabusers, both with a childhood history of physical child abuse. In contrast to expectations, none of the social support factors distinguished between the abusers and nonabusers. (JPS)

Administration of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory and a Work Satisfaction Questionnaire to 228 day care employees at 40 centers found an inverse relationship between child abuse potential and both clarity of job expectations and overall job satisfaction. Employees generally rated "high" had lower abuse scores than employees rated…

To provide cross-validation data for the Child Abuse Potential Inventory, classification rates were determined for 220 physical child abusers and matched control subjects. Using all protocols, a discriminant analysis indicated the Abuse scale correctly classified 85.4% of the subjects, with 82.7% of the abusers and 88.2% of the control subjects…

Data indicate that the Child Abuse Potential-Inventory can distinguish a group of "at risk" individuals from a group of nonabusive subjects. However, the variability in Inventory scores of "at risk" subjects suggests that identification of individuals based on Inventory scores would not be warranted for this sample. (Author)

This article reports on the construction of a 60-item inventory for the identification of child abusers. A principal axis factoring with oblique promax rotations was performed to interpret the underlying dimensionality of the predictor items. Four dimensions were found: loneliness, rigidity, problems, and control. (Author/SJL)

Assessed attitudes of mothers rated as high risk (HR) and low risk (LR) for abusing their children and their children. HR mothers and their children evaluated conventional and personal transgressions as more wrong than did LR mothers and their children. Compared to LR mothers, HR mothers expected less compliance following moral transgressions and…