The study sought to identify factors that influence the willingness of persons associated with 24-hour residential care to report possible abuse and neglect events. The survey of 598 respondents in five states found characteristics of the event, the resident, staff, and respondent attitudes components of a hierarchical regression model. (Author/DB)

Evaluation of the effects of parent education meetings on preschool parents' (N=116) knowledge of child abuse indicated that parent education had little effect upon parents' knowledge of (1) the prevalence of child sexual abuse, (2) indicators of abuse, (3) parents' appropriate response to disclosures. (Author/DB)

A brief version of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAP) was developed using a development sample of N = 1,470, and cross-validated using an additional sample of N = 713. Items were selected to maximize (a) CAP variance accounted for; (b) prediction of future child protective services reports; (c) item invariance across gender, age, and…

I evaluate the influence of household wealth, women's socioeconomic dependence, status inconsistency, and family organization on physical abuse in the prior year and attitudes about wife abuse and divorce among 2,522 married women in Minya, Egypt. Household wealth is negatively associated with physical abuse. Women who are dependent on marriage…

Child care and protection have become key issues of concern for all teachers, and particularly for those teachers responsible for the care of young children. In this paper, we analyse focus group data on the topic of child care and protection produced by primary school teachers in Queensland, Australia. By drawing on concepts from cultural…

The purpose of this study is to understand why some battered mothers physically abuse their children. Mothers who were battered and physically abused their children (the co-occurrence group) were compared with mothers who were neither battered nor physically abused, who were only battered, and who only abused (N = 184). The mothers in the…

This study of 125 mothers examined the role of rumination in maternal emotional and behavioral outcomes subsequent to discovery of the sexual abuse of their children. Abuse severity, a maternal history of child abuse experiences, and life hassles were examined as predictors of negative outcomes. The central finding was that these factors, many of…

A survey of 295 child protection workers, law enforcement officers, mental health practitioners, and physicians found that the use of anatomical dolls in child sexual abuse evaluations was widespread although few professionals had specific training in their use. (Author/DB)

Analysis of about 2,000 official reports of maltreatment of children and adolescents found that substantiation of sexual abuse was more likely with adolescents, but that neglect and physical abuse reports were less likely to be substantiated with adolescents. White adolescents were underrepresented, and Black adolescents were overrepresented.…

A survey of over 4,000 university students found that many students had experienced disciplinary activities as children that could be considered abusive but that most of these students did not label themselves as having been abused. Correlations between severe physical punishment and abuse-related domains were similar to those in the clinical…

Discusses potential obstacles involved when interviewing child victims of sexual abuse, including risks of false allegations and the interviewer's difficulty in maintaining true objectivity. Underlines importance of tailoring whole procedure to child's developmental level. Examines Statement Validity Analysis, advocating the need to approach this…

The study compared data from doctors in the Netherlands from 1974 and 1983. Findings indicated a threefold increase in child abuse and neglect cases, a large increase in emotional maltreatment, an increase in detection of child fatalities, but a decrease in the severity of physical abuse. Sexual abuse was recognized far more often in 1983.…

The study investigated the ability of child protective service workers to distinguish videotaped interactions of physically abusive parent-child dyads from interactions of nonabuse dyads during a teaching task. Child protection workers achieved a 76 percent rate of accuracy in identify the abuse status of dyads after only three minutes of observed…

Amid growing legal liability concerns, school districts are experiencing an upsurge in sexual abuse complaints against educators. Cases leading to teacher convictions in several states are summarized. Sidebars investigate why certain districts face multiple allegations and report on necessary actions for unprosecutable offenses, teacher defenses…

To help protect students, schools need a two-part plan to deter child sexual abuse. Schools must educate staff and students concerning the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable behavior and develop written policies denouncing child sexual abuse. Schools must also develop procedures for handling complaints. The key to a fair investigation…