Citation

Anderson APA, Feldman MD, Bryce J. J. Forensic Sci. 2018; 63(3): 771-775.

Affiliation

School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.13610

PMID

28766877

Abstract

In Munchausen by proxy (MBP) maltreatment, increasingly termed "medical child abuse" (MCA), a caregiver fabricates or induces illness in another. The perpetrator's goal for the behavior is to meet personal emotional needs by forcing unnecessary or misguided medical or psychological treatment. Generally, a mother is the perpetrator and her child is the victim. There is a serious lack of research into most aspects of MCA, and this study is the first to utilize the anonymity of an Internet forum to investigate victims' first-hand experiences of, and the public's opinions about, suspected and confirmed MCA. Three-hundred and fifty-six posts by 348 members were explored and coded using formal qualitative content analysis. By accessing an open-thought online forum, this paper acquired information regarding social perceptions about the nonperpetrating partners who are unaware of the maltreatment; the disturbing and counterintuitive phenomenon of MCA itself; and the resistance often faced by those who attempt to report it.

© 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

Keywords

Munchausen by proxy; factitious disorder; forensic science; internet research; medical child abuse; nonperpetrating partners; online perceptions; qualitative research