Concordance Between Parents in Perpetration of Child Mistreatment: How Often Is It by Father-Only, Mother-Only, or by Both and What Difference Does It Make?

Child abuse and pubertal timing: what is the role of child sex and identity of the perpetrator?

BACKGROUND

This study investigated the association between child abuse [child neglect (CN), emotional (CEA) and physical abuse (CPA)] and early puberty with special regard to sex-specific effects concerning child and parental perpetrator.

METHODS

Data assessment took place within the framework of the LIFE Child Depression study, a longitudinal study on the development of depressive symptoms and disorders between child- and adulthood in Leipzig, Germany. A sample of 709 children (8-14 years) was recruited from the general population and via psychiatric hospitals. Data on pubertal status were assessed using an instrument for self-assessment of tanner stages (scales of physical pubertal development). Information on menarche was provided by parents. The Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS-PC) served for data on child abuse.

RESULTS

Regarding physical puberty markers, significant correlations were found, especially with child neglect (CN) and child emotional abuse (CEA). Regression analyses, controlling for Body-Mass-Index (BMI) and Socioeconomic Status (SES), revealed that children affected by child neglect perpetrated by mother (CNm) and child emotional abuse (CEA) parent-non-specifically enter puberty significantly earlier. Sex-specific analyses identified child neglect perpetrated by mother (CNm) to be associated with early puberty in girls and child emotional abuse perpetrated by father (CEAf) with early puberty in boys. Concerning the onset of menstruation, there was a significant positive correlation between early menarche and parent-specific and non-specific child neglect (CN), as well as between early menarche and child emotional abuse perpetrated by the mother (CEAm). In regression models that controlled for Body-Mass-Index (BMI) and Socioeconomic Status (SES) no significant associations were maintained. Child physical abuse (CPA) was not associated with early puberty.

CONCLUSION

Results outlined child neglect (CN) and child emotional abuse (CEA) to be sex- and perpetrator-specific risk factors for early pubertal development. Knowledge of sex- and perpetrator-specific effects could help clinicians to specify their diagnostic process and to define differential prevention and treatment goals for children with experiences of CN and CEA. Further research on the sex-specific impact of parental CN and CEA on girls' and boys' puberty is needed.

Parenting Attitudes and Abusive Parenting among Incarcerated Mothers in Japan

The primary focus of this study was to explore the parenting attitudes that predict abusive parenting among incarcerated mothers in Japan. Data analyzed on 63 incarcerated mothers who had the legal custody of the youngest child revealed that belief in corporal punishment significantly predicted abusive parenting. The data further revealed that the impact of adverse childhood experiences and the parenting style of an intimate partner remained significant in predicting the risk of abusive parenting. These multiple risk factors affecting child abuse perpetration indicate the need to develop a multi-dimensional intervention in prison settings to address those multiple issues.

The Gender Perspective on Parent-to-child Aggression: Gender and Gender-constellations

Parent-to-child aggressive behavior is a common risk factor for children's health. Gender is correlated also to the odds of using aggression and the odds of being a victim of aggression. Yet, only few studies have considered the constellation of perpetrator's and victim's gender as a factor of parental aggression. The current study addresses parent-to-child aggressive behavior while focusing on the constellation of perpetrator's and victim's gender (i.e., mother-daughter, mother-son, father-daughter, father-son). It utilizes a community sample of Israeli university students (N = 508), 78% of which are female, on average 25.67 years of age (SD = 8.29). The participants reported the incidence and frequency of verbal and physical aggressive behavior of their parents against them during the years of middle school. The results show gender and gender-constellation to be significantly correlated with parental aggression. Overall, sons were more likely to suffer both verbal and physical aggression from their parents than daughters were. Only paternal verbal and physical aggression was more common against daughters, and only maternal verbal and physical aggression was more common against sons. Parental verbal and physical aggression from both parents were more common against sons. For all types and forms of parental aggression, daughters reported higher frequencies. These results suggest that while parent's gender might predict their overall aggressive behavior, and child's gender might predict their overall odds to be victimized by parental aggression, gender-constellation might create gender-specific selective patterns of parental aggressive behavior. Thus, the theoretical contribution of this study is in emphasizing that gender-constellations have an explanatory value beyond gender alone. These findings might be valuable to assess the risk of daughters and sons to suffer parental aggression, and for practitioners to provide apt professional response.

Family Risk Factors That Jeopardize Child Development: Scoping Review

The obligation to protect children is defined by law. However, there is fragility in identifying actual or potential situations that jeopardize their development. This review aims to identify the family risk factors that jeopardize child development. A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute for Evidence-Based Practice framework and the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. The research was carried out on the electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, Nursing & Allied Health Collection: Comprehensive, MEDLINE Complete, and MedicLatina, with a time limit of 2010 to 2021. The search was restricted to documents written in Portuguese, English, and French. A total of 3998 articles were initially identified. After selecting and analysing, 28 risk factors were extracted from 29 articles. Four categories of risk factors were identified—namely, patterns of social and economic interaction, family characteristics, caregiver’s characteristics, and parenting. The results of this review allow the identification of family risk factors that jeopardize child development. This is significant for Child Protective Services workers as they carry out their risk assessments. This assessment is the first step in avoiding an accumulation of harm to at-risk children and allowing the development of interventions for minimising harm’s impact on children’s development.