Child Physical Abuse

EVEN THOUGH acts of child abuse have been committed throughout history (Zigler & Hall, 1989), widespread concern over child abuse as a significant social problem began as recently as the 1960s. Maltreated children have been an increasing focus of protection efforts, which may be due to frequent and intense attention from the media, general public, legislators, and health, mental health, and social service professionals (Hansen, Conaway, & Christopher, 1990). Increased attention to child maltreatment is evident in the research literature, which has grown rapidly since the 1970s. Much of the initial focus was on identification and remediation of deficits in parental functioning , whereas current emphases seem to be on identification of the correlates and consequences Several excellent reviews have provided detailed summaries of the more established assessment procedures specifically for use with physically abusive parents and their children, including newly developed measures (e. The present chapter supplements the previous literature by providing additional evaluation of current procedures and issues, as well as further discussion of practical issues, legal and system considerations, and a case illustration. The chapter provides information relevant for identifying and preventing additional mal-treatment, selecting and formulating treatment goals, and monitoring treatment effectiveness. Prior to discussing specific assessment techniques, a brief description of the problem of physical abuse is needed. DEFINITIONS Operational, practical definitions of physical abuse have been difficult to develop because of problems in specifying what is excessive discipline or inappropriate treatment of children. Physical 127 TYPES OF FAMILY VIOLENCE 128 abuse has commonly been defined as an act of commission by the parent and is characterized by presence of nonaccidental injury and infliction of overt physical violence (e. Physical abuse usually occurs in discrete, lowfrequency episodes and is often accompanied by frustration and anger toward the child (Kelly, 1983). Although evidence of physical injury of the child has been a critical factor in identifying abusive behavior, especially for legal purposes, increasing emphasis is being placed on the circumstances and nature of the act, as opposed to the consequences on the child (Wolfe, 1988). There is not a clear distinction between acceptable forms of physical punishment and abuse. Definitions of abuse in state statutes vary significantly in terms of specificity (Besharov, 1990; Kalichman, 1993), and information on state laws and procedures are available from local child protective services offices. Often the legal definitions are too vague to have applied research implications , but are sufficiently …