Child Abuse Questionnaire Research Articles

Effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in abused children and their families.

Background: Child abuse is a significant public health and social problem worldwide. It can be described as a failure to provide care and protection for children by the parents or other caregivers. This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in abused children and their families. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in the psychosocial support unit of a pediatric hospital in Bandar Abbas, Iran, from 2012 to 2013. The participants consisted of child abuse cases and their parents who referred to the psychosocial support unit to receive services. Services delivered in this unit included parenting skills training, psychiatric treatments, and supportive services. The effectiveness of the interventions was assessed with Child Abuse Questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQ). Participants were assessed at baseline, at 3, and 6 months follow-ups. ANOVA with repeated measures and Friedman test were used to evaluate the effect of the interventions. Results: A total of 68 children and their parents enrolled in this study, of whom 53% were males. Post-intervention follow-ups revealed significant changes in mothers' general health questionnaire (p<0.001), and children's conduct problem (p<0.05), hyperactivity (p<0.001), and peer problems (p<0.05). Physical and emotional abuses significantly decreased (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our findings revealed that psychosocial interventions effectively improved child-parents interaction and mental health of parents. The effectiveness of interventions based on subgroup analysis and implications of the results have been discussed for further development of psychosocial interventions in the health system.

Transgenerational Transmission of Violence among Parents of Preschool Children in Croatia.

The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a transgenerational transmission of violence within the family on a sample of parents of preschool children in Croatia, and to identify the factors that increase the likelihood of child abuse. The Child Abuse Questionnaire was self-administered to the sample of 118 parents of preschool children (91 mothers and 27 fathers) during February 2013. There were 7.7% of mothers and 3.8% of fathers who answered that they slapped their child, while 15.4% of the fathers answered that they even hit their child with a fist. We found the subjects who were psychologically and/or physically abused in childhood by their parents to have a higher probability of following the exact model of violence on their children. So, children suffer physical violence in larger families from parents who, in turn, suffered physical violence in childhood from their fathers, controlled for all other factors in the model. Children suffer psychological violence from parents who experienced psychological violence from their own parents during childhood, controlled for all other factors in the model. We also found the higher number of family members in a household to be a risk factor for abuse. The study has confirmed that additional interventions are necessary to break the model of transmitting violence from generation to generation.

Validation of a Child Abuse Questionnaire in Iranian Children with Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Validation of a Child Abuse Questionnaire in Iranian Children with Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Knowledge of Child Abuse and Reporting Practices Among Early Care and Education Providers

This study sought to assess child abuse knowledge and reporting practices of a diverse sample of early care and education (ECE) practitioners. One hundred and thirty-seven practitioners in the state of Florida completed the Early Childhood Educators Child Abuse Questionnaire. Results revealed that only a minority of participants have been involved in making child abuse reports. Although most reported receiving training in child maltreatment, many still were unsure of legal requirements of reporting. Responses to vignettes of potential abuse revealed a tendency to report to school administration more often than reporting directly to authorities. On a test of child abuse knowledge, the majority of the respondents demonstrated a fair level of knowledge. Recommendations for future research involving ECE administrators are suggested.

Relationship between Maltreatment in Childhood and Intimate Partner Violence

Aims: The present study aimed to examine the relationship between different forms of maltreatment in childhood with the perpetration of violent behaviour and exposure to violence in partner relationships. Methodology: The sample comprised 147 participants (100 women and 47 men) involved in intimate partner violence and 200 control subjects (100 women and 100 men). A child abuse questionnaire was used for the assessment of multiple types of abuse occurring during childhood. Partner violence was assessed using Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2). Results: The findings indicated that exposure to maltreatment in childhood had a significant effect on intimate partner violence. Significant differences were observed between the participants exposed to physical and psychological abuse, neglect and those witnessing family violence through partner violence compared to the control group. Forms of violence committed by fathers and mothers had a more important effect on partner violence compared to the violence committed by other persons. Conclusion: The results obtained from this study can potentially help in the development of

Perkaitan antara Sikap dan Tindakan Guru-Guru Sekolah terhadap Penganiayaan Kanak-Kanak

Correct attitudes and substantive courses of action are two primary factors in the process of preventing or advocating for child maltreatment cases. School teachers are among signifcant adults to children. Hence this study explores the relationships between attitudes and courses of actions of school teachers towards issues of child maltreatment. Two-hundred and ffty fve teachers participated in this study by responding to the “Educator and Child Abuse Questionnaire”. The fndings show that most of the teachers (63%) displayed uncertain attitudes regarding the issues of maltreatment. All of the teachers chose to take at least one action, rational action, when facing suspected maltreatment cases. However, Chi-Square analyses show that there are no signifcant relationships between teachers’ attitudes and their courses of action. Having positive attitudes does not warrant a correct course of action. As a result, an individual’s course of action is mostly affected by the uniqueness of the case and the availability of substantive information of the case.

Idaho Teacher’s Attitudes about Child Abuse and/or Neglect: Trends and Implications of Reporting

This mixed-methods study investigated problems impeding teachers and, in particular, Idaho elementary teachers in fulfilling their responsibility to report child abuse and neglect (CAN) as mandated by law. Teachers were asked about their desires to know more about child protective services (CPS) and its court process. Quantitative data was gathered from a sample of 25 teachers using an adapted version of Teachers and Child Abuse Questionnaire (ECAQ). Qualitative data was obtained from teacher interviews. Both sets of data were analyzed separately and compared providing triangulation. Teachers reported uncertainty about education adequacy pertaining to CAN. Teachers wanted to know more about CPS and the CPS court process to help fulfill their mandated duties. The researcher’s recommendations include building relationships between CASA personnel and educators to assist teachers’ self-confidence in reporting cases of CAN. Federal intervention should give consistent educational guidelines within CAN laws to improve CAN education regarding teacher’s mandated duties.

The Effect of Child Abuse by Parents on Mind Reading Ability of Children

Abstract The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between parental abuse and mind reading ability in female students. 268 female high school students were selected among high schools of Bonab city as the sample of the study by multistage cluster sampling method. The tools of the study were Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and two-dimensional child abuse questionnaire (Javanmard & Mamagani). In order to analyze the collected data, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and standard multiple regression analysis were used. According to the results of the study, there was significant negative relationship between the mind reading ability of children with emotional abuse (r=-0/215, P<0/001) and physical abuse by parents (r=-0/22, P<0/001). The mentioned ability changes were predicted by emotional and physical abuse by parents. Keywords: Mind Reading Ability, Child Abuse, Parents, Children

1866 Levels of Awareness in Teachers Regarding Child Neglect and Abuse

AimsIn ourcountry, there are still no measurement tools having sufficient content and scope that aims at the awareness and any databank on this aspect, in spite of studies aimed at...

Birth Order as a Possible Correlate of Child Abuse

The study investigated the difference in the level of abuse experienced based on the birth order of a child among public secondary school students in south-west Nigeria. A descriptive research design of exploratory type was adopted for the study. A total of 1, 440 public secondary school students in 36 schools from 9 local government areas in 3 southwestern states of Nigeria, were sampled for this study. Out of these students, 695 students were found to be abused and their responses formed the data that were analysed for this study. A self constructed questionnaire titled Child Abuse Questionnaire (CAQ) was administered on the students after validation. The instrument has construct validity coefficient of 0.83. The statistical technique used was a one-way ANOVA. The result of the analysis showed that there is a significant difference between the level of abuse experienced by the first child and the children who occupy other birth positions. Based on the finding, it is recommended among others that parents should not give their first child tasks that are too heavy for them and that every child needs tender care of the parents including the first born child.

The Influence of Child Abuse on the Academic Performance of Primary School Pupils in Primary Science in Cross River State, Nigeria

The aim of this study was to find out the influence of child abuse on pupils academic performance in primary science. To carry out this study effectively two variables were identified for the study. These were used to formulate the research hypotheses. The design for the study was ex-post-facto. The area of study was Cross River State, Nigeria. The population of study consisted of all primary six pupils in Cross River State in the 2005/2006 school year. This was made up of 68,201 pupils from 994 primary schools in the State. The sampling procedure was stratified random sampling and the sample was 2,940 pupils selected from 49 schools. Two instruments were used: A Child Abuse Questionnaire (CHAQ) and a primary science test to test pupils’ academic performance. The independent t-test was used to analyze the data. The result revealed that children that were not abused perform better than their counterpart who where abused. Based on these findings some recommendations were made.

Stereotypes and attitudes about child sexual abusers: A comparison of experienced and inexperienced professionals in sex offender treatment

Purpose. The danger of stereotyping child sex offenders is that such stereotypes allow suspected abusers to avoid detection. The current study investigated whether professionals involved in the treatment of sex offenders endorsed less stereotypes of sex offenders than an ‘inexperienced’ group of teachers.Method. Sixty professionals involved with sex offenders and 71 school teachers completed three questionnaires: the Stereotypes of Sex Offenders Questionnaire; Attitudes Towards Sex Offenders Scale (Hogue, 1993) and Knowledge of Child Abuse Questionnaire (created for the present study). Mediation analyses were then conducted on the relationships between the scores.Results. Experienced professionals endorsed negative stereotypes less, had more positive attitudes towards sex offenders and expressed more knowledge of child abuse than the inexperienced group. Further, attitudes towards child sexual offenders were significantly mediated by the effect of knowledge of child abuse on group (experienced, inexperienced). However, there was no significant mediation for the effect of knowledge on child abuse on the relationship between group (experienced, inexperienced) and stereotype consistent scores.Conclusions. The less knowledge of child abuse, the more stereotypical one may be about potential child sex offenders. Thus, it may be useful to increase knowledge on child abuse in inexperienced groups to counter stereotyping and allow greater detection of offenders.

Teachers’ attitudes toward and knowledge of child maltreatment

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine teachers’ self-reported knowledge of the signs and symptoms of child maltreatment, reporting procedures, legal issues surrounding child abuse and their attitudes toward corporal punishment. In addition, a factor analysis was performed on the Educators and Child Abuse Questionnaire (ECAQ) (Kenny, 2001a). Method: Two hundred teachers, who work in the southeast region of the US in a large, ethnically diverse school system, were administered the ECAQ which contains questions on knowledge concerning: (1) signs and symptoms of child abuse, (2) laws, and (3) procedures for reporting child abuse as well as number of reports filed. Results: Most teachers reported being unaware of the signs and symptoms of child maltreatment, as well as reporting procedures. They also felt administration would not be supportive and were in disagreement with their legal role as mandated reporters. The ECAQ was found to be a reliable measure with four factors: (1) Awareness of signs and symptoms of child abuse, (2) Knowledge of reporting procedures, (3) Attitudes toward discipline, and (4) Seriousness of child abuse. Conclusions: In general, teachers reported a lack of awareness of the signs of child abuse and reporting procedures, which may affect their ability to report cases of suspected abuse. There is a need for standardized training in child maltreatment for all teachers as well as clear, concise institutional guidelines for reporting child abuse and support for teachers confronted with suspected victims.

Evaluation of a School-Based Child Abuse Prevention Program

This article reports the results of an evaluation study of a school-based educational child abuse prevention program using a quasi-expetimental design. Seven hundred ninety-six (796) children, both male and female, at three grade levels, and from nine public and parochial schools participated in the study. Following the presentation of the educational program, an impressive increase in the posttest mean score on a child abuse questionnaire of the treatment group occurred, differences between the posttest mean scores of the treatment and control groups being statistically significant. There was no significant difference between male and female children in their need for and benefit from the program. At the lower grade level, the program was needed more and the gain was greater.

Long-term consequences of childhood physical and psychological maltreatment

This study assessed whether some of the correlates of learned helplessness—depression, low self-esteem, and a maladaptive attributional style—are long-term consequences of child abused. In this study, 260 subjects were identified as physically abused, psychologically abused, both physically and psychologically abused, or nonabused, based on responses to the Child Abuse Questionnaire (CAQ). Subjects were tested for levels of nonclinical depression via the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), for levels of self-esteem via the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), and for the adaptiveness of attributional style via the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ). It was hypothesized that each of the three abuse groups would differ from the control group on the three dependent measures; differences among the three abuse groups were also explored. Three one-way analyses of variance indicated that (1) BDI scores reflected a greater tendency toward depression in subjects reporting both types of abuse than in nonabused subjects or in subjects reporting either psychological or physical abuse, (2) subjects reporting psychological abuse only or both psychological and physical abuse showed lower self-esteem than did nonabused subjects, and (3) abused subjects did not seem to exhibit a more maladaptive attributional style than that of nonabused subjects. In addition, multiple linear regression analyses pointed to psychological abuse as a critical variable in predicting levels of depression, self-esteem, and attributional style, when physical abuse effects were controlled. Controlling for the effects of psychological abuse, however, indicated that physical abuse did not significantly contribute to the variance in these variables. Implications for the learned helplessness model and for future research are discussed. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Books Received

To test the hypothesis that dissociation in adolescence is positively correlated with stress or abuse experienced earlier, the authors assessed dissociation in a heterogeneous group of disturbed adolescents and examined the relationship between the degree of dissociation and the degree of reported childhood stress, abuse, or trauma. The subjects were 47 adolescents, 13-17 years old, who were institutionalized for periods of 1-13 weeks in a private mental hospital; 35 were girls and 12 were boys. Participants completed the Dissociative Experiences Scale and a child abuse and trauma questionnaire. The hospital records of 40 of the 47 adolescents were also available. Scores on the Dissociative Experiences Scale correlated significantly with self-reported physical abuse or punishment, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, neglect, and negative home atmosphere but not with abuse ratings made from hospital records. Together with the authors' previous work showing a relation between childhood stress and later dissociation in normal college students, these findings support the view that dissociation represents a reaction to early negative experience and places multiple personality disorder at the extreme end of a continuum of dissociative sequelae of childhood trauma. Researchers should continue to try to identify psychiatric patients with prominent dissociative characteristics or symptoms and attempt to correlate this phenomenology with negative earlier experiences.