Citation

Taylor DK, Beauchamp C. Child Abuse Negl. 1988; 12(3): 343-354.

Affiliation

Hurley Medical Center, Flint, MI 48502.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1988, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

3167622

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a primary prevention effort in child maltreatment, the focus of which was a community-wide endeavor (i.e., subjects were not prescreened for risk potential). Specific components of the planned intervention addressed four causal levels of maltreatment: individual, family, community, and cultural factors. That assessment was intended to build strengths in those parenting areas which are predictive of abusive or neglectful outcomes. Target areas included knowledge of child development, child-rearing attitudes, mother-infant interaction patterns, and parenting skills. A posttest-only control group design was employed. The control postpartum mothers received traditional or routine hospital services; experimental mothers received special in-hospital and after-care services by trained student nurse volunteers. These volunteers functioned in a dual educative/supportive role. Experimental mothers reported more realistic expectations of behavior, embraced more democratic child-rearing principles, providing more verbal stimulation to their infants (reflecting an increased sensitivity), and displayed increased problem-solving abilities.

Language: en