INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY FACTORS RELATED TO CHILD’S POTENTIAL PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE

Abstract

Some parents tend to use hostile and harsh parenting practices for managing child’s misbehavior and disciplining. Physical, verbal or emotional abuse has negative impact on individual’s well-being, self-esteem, ability to cope with stress, adaptation, socialization, even academic achievements during childhood and adulthood. It is important to identify risk factors and situation under that parents are at risk of harming their children and provide support for these families. 1265 mothers of preschool aged children participated in the study. According to indirect predictors, 13,4% of mothers were classified to child’s potential physical and/or emotional abuse group. However none of mothers were assigned as using authoritarian practices nor physical coercion, verbal hostility or punitive behaviors according to direct signs of violent parenting behavior. Factors as child’s parents live separately, poor family financial situation, low quality of mother’s sleep, poor mother’s physical health, lower father’s education, poor child’s physical health and high maternal smoking status are related to child’s potential physical or emotional abuse