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PARENTAL PERSONALITY FACTORS IN CHILD ABUSE

NCJ Number
60461
Journal
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology Volume: 46 Issue: 6 Dated: (DECEMBER 1978) Pages: 1409-1414
Author(s)
J J SPINETTA
Date Published
1978
Length
6 pages
Annotation
TO DEMONSTRATE THAT ABUSING PARENTS DIFFER FROM NONABUSING PARENTS IN PERSONALITY, THE MICHIGAN SCREENING PROFILE OF PARENTING WAS GIVEN TO SIX GROUPS OF MOTHERS.
Abstract
THE GROUPS WERE ADJUSTICATED ABUSERS, SPOUSES OF ADJUDICATED ABUSERS, MOTHERS CONVICTED OF CHILD NEGLECT, NONABUSING MOTHERS FROM A MIDDLE SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL, AND NONABUSING MOTHERS FROM A LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL. MAJOR DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND WHEN COMPARISON WAS MADE OF ONE OR MORE OF THE FIRST GROUPS WITH ONE OF THE LATTER THREE GROUPS. THE GROUPS DIFFERED SIGNIFICANTLY ON SIX FACTOR-ANALYZED CLUSTER CATEGORIES: (1) RELATIONSHIP TO ONE'S OWN PARENTS, (2) TENDENCY TO BECOME UPSET AND ANGRY, (3) TENDENCY TOWARD ISOLATION AND LONELINESS, (4) EXPECTATIONS OF ONE'S OWN CHILDREN, (5) INABILITY TO SEPARATE PARENTAL AND CHILD FEELINGS, (6) FEAR OF EXTERNAL THREAT AND CONTROL. THE FIRST THREE GROUPS SCORED AT LEVELS OF HIGHER RISK FOR ALL CATEGORIES THAN DID THE LATTER THREE GROUPS; THE ABUSERS SCORED AT THE HIGHEST RISK LEVELS THROUGHOUT. FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT A THERAPIST WHO HELPS A PARENT DEVELOP THE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN EQUANIMITY UNDER STRESS, BY HELPING REDUCE DEVIATIONS FROM THE NORM IN CHARACTERISTICS RELATED TO ABUSE POTENTIAL, IS ULTIMATELY HELPING TO REDUCE ACTUAL ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR. TABULAR MATERIAL AND REFERENCES ACCOMPANY THE ARTICLE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--MJW)