THIS STUDY REFUTES SOME GENERALIZATIONS AND MAINTAINS OTHERS PREVIOUSLY SUPPORTED BY OTHER STUDIES. THE SUBJECTS OF THE INDEX GROUP WERE 134 BATTERED INFANTS REFERRED BY A CONSULTANT PEDIATRICIAN. THE SUBJECTS OF THE CONTROL GROUP WERE 53 CHILDREN ADMITTED TO HOSPITALS AS EMERGENCIES, EXCLUDING ACCIDENTS AND TRAUMA CASES. THE TWO SAMPLES WERE MATCHED FOR AGE OF MOTHER AND AGE OF INFANT. ALL PARENTS UNDERWENT STANDARDIZED PSYCHIATRIC, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL INTERVIEWS. PERSONALITY DIAGNOSIS OF THE PARENTS WAS BASED ON THE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION CLASSIFICATION (1952) INTO NORMAL AND ABNORMAL CATEGORIES. ABNORMALITY OF PERSONALITY IS FURTHER SUBDIVIDED INTO MILD, MODERATE, AND SEVERE. OTHER FACTORS RESEARCHED WERE NEUROSIS, NONPSYCHOTIC DISTURBANCES, INSTABILITY, INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT, AND CRIMINAL RECORDS. THE RESULTS WERE BROKEN DOWN INTO GROUPS BY AGE, SOCIAL CLASS, PERSONALITY, SEVERITY OF PERSONALITY DISORDER, NEUROSIS, PSYCHOSIS, SCORING ON THE EYSENCK PERSONALITY INVENTORY, INTELLIGENCE, CRIMINAL RECORDS, AND GENERAL HEALTH. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT THE BATTERING PARENT WERE YOUNG AND PREDOMINANTLY OF LOWER SOCIAL CLASS. PREMATURE PARENTHOOD IS AN ASSOCIATED FEATURE. AMONG THE MOTHERS, 76 PERCENT HAD AN ABNORMAL PERSONALITY AND 48 PERCENT WERE NEUROTIC. NEARLY HALF WERE OF BORDERLINE OR SUBNORMAL INTELLIGENCE; 11 PERCENT HAD A CRIMINAL RECORD. OF THE FATHERS, 64 PERCENT HAD AN ABNORMAL PERSONALITY, MORE THAN HALF BEING PSYCHOPATHS; 29 PERCENT HAD A CRIMINAL RECORD. SUGGESTIONS TO INSURE PROTECTION OF THE CHILD ARE OFFERED INCLUDING PERMEANENT REMOVAL OF CHILDREN FROM PARENTAL CARE IN THOSE CASES WHERE, AFTER AN OVERALL PSYCHIATRIC ASSESSMENT, THE LIKELIHOOD OF PARENTS RESPONDING TO TREATMENT IS CONSIDERED REMOTE. REALISTIC TREATMENT METHODS, SUCH AS THE TEACHING OF APPROPRIATE CHILD-REARING SKILLS, SOCIAL RELEARNING, AND SYMPTOMATIC RELIEF, WILL POSSIBLY DIMINISH THE RISK OF BATTERING WITH TIME. (RBS)