Citation

Trute B, Adkins E, MacDonald G. J. Fam. Violence 1996; 11(3): 237-249.

Affiliation

Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba, R3T 2N2 Winnipeg, Canada; The Children's Home of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada; Child and Family Services of Central Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/BF02336943

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Brief case histories involving incest were presented to police officers, child welfare workers, and community mental health practitioners in a rural area in Canada. Intervention priorities involving "treatment versus punishment" were assessed across the three professional groups for each specific case vignette. Attitudes were assessed on three factors: perpetrator mentally ill rather than criminal, view regarding treatment of victims and mothers, and support for court mandated treatment. Police and community mental health practitioners had significantly different attitudes as to whether perpetrators of child sexual abuse should be viewed more as criminals or as mentally disturbed. Both mental health and child welfare staff differed significantly from police with a less punitive view towards victims and their mothers. All three profressional groups showed no difference in their modest endorsement of the use of mandated treatment by the courts. Gender was not found to influence response to case vignettes.