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Experiences of Family Maltreatment by Korean Children in Korean National Protective Services

NCJ Number
229950
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 34 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2010 Pages: 18-27
Author(s)
Soyoung Ju; Yanghee Lee
Date Published
January 2010
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study of children in protective care in South Korea examined the extent of their experiences of family maltreatment and analyzed the circumstances of their maltreatment as well as how the children coped with it.
Abstract
The study found that physical abuse of the children occurred at a higher rate than emotional abuse; however, physical abuse was often accompanied by emotional abuse. Regarding the duration of abuse, 70 percent of the children were constantly abused for more than 1 year. Only 10 of the children (2.8 percent) reported they had "never" been abused. The majority of the children in protective care were preschoolers, and most of the abusers were the biological fathers. While in protective care, 40 percent of the children did not have any contact with their families for just over a year. Many of the children experienced an unstable cycle of being referred to protective care and then being retuned to their families only to be abused again and returned to protective care. The abused children suffered from stress and pervasive uncertainty about their worth and self-esteem. They did not understand why they had been abused and had difficulty in dealing with their anger and sadness. Coping strategies used by the children while suffering the abuse included accepting the maltreatment as inevitable, attempting to avoid the abuser, and crying when alone. The findings emphasize the need for communities to provide safe and socially supportive networks for maltreated children where they can experience being safe, valued, and accepted. Quantitative data were collected in face-to-face interviews with 357 children between the ages of 9 and 12 under protective care due to maltreatment. Indepth interviews were conducted with 14 children who had experienced serious maltreatment. 3 tables and 29 references