Family and Child Welfare

Family and Child Welfare 3 (3+0)

Lesson 29 : Causes of Child Neglect and Abuse

Differences among Neglecting and Abusing Families

Some significant differ­ences in the behavior of neglecting and abusing families appeared to emerge. For example

1. In contrast to abusing families, there was virtually no deliberate physical mistreatment in neglecting families (although these families rat­ed high on aspects of poor physical care, such as lack of cleanliness, inadequate clothing and lack of medical care; abusing families also rat­ed high on lack of medical care).
2. Neglecting families were characterized by inadequate feeding, which in "severe neglect" was consistent enough to be visible to outsiders. Interestingly, inadequate feeding was also an important factor in "moderate neglect" and in both abuse groups, but to a considerably less extent. Young suggested that in abusing fami­lies the underfeeding had punitive connotations which were not present in neglecting families.
3. Abusing families (both "severe" and "moderate") consistently denied their children normally accepted activities, as seen in parental refusal to permit children the usual recreational and educational opportunities open to children in their community or school. This was deliber­ate deprivation on the part of the abusing par­ents, in contrast to neglecting families, where denial of normally accepted activities occurred because of ostracism from other children, but seldom because of parental prohibition.
4. Both groups of abusing families verbally expressed extreme negative feelings toward their children. Such gross expressions of hostili­ty and aggression were of this order: they hated the child; they hoped he would die; they never wanted her. The abusive language included yelling at the child in profane and vulgar terms, using insulting phrases, and crude mockery. In contrast, neglecting families used abusive lan­guage less frequently and were somewhat more inclined toward positive statements of feelings for their children.
5. Abusing families showed resistance to out­side intervention, as seen in refusals of help for a child (such as opportunities for summer camp or a program in a settlement house) or refusals to cooperate with anyone else in the care of the child. Neglecting families, although they may not have sought outside help, showed a greater willingness to permit children to receive ser­vices or respond to the interest of others.
6. Families with "severe neglect" showed a marked lack of family organization and exten­sive confusion in parental roles. Families with "severe abuse" revealed a parental role in which the exercise of controls and decision making were divorced from the carrying of family responsibilities; that is, the controlling parent was not necessarily the one who carried parental responsibility. This characteristic leaves the way open to disorder and tyrannical conduct. "Moderate neglect" families showed the highest degree of family organization of all four groups. This fact suggests that those fami­lies might be expected to respond more posi­tively and more readily to supportive and reha­bilitative social work services.
7. Common parental reactions to family cri­sis (such as trouble at school or with the law) showed that both groups of abusing parents displayed aggressiveness and tended, generally, to meet problems by blaming and attacking others. In contrast, severely neglecting parents tended to run away from their problems by such means as actual "desertion" or simply dis-appearing from their families for a few hours or days to escape the unmanageable pressures and demands.
8. In response to queries as to the extent to which families felt guilt over their inadequate or harmful child care, parents of all groups showed little open awareness of the unacceptability of their behavior until criticism and intervention had occurred. Then the remorse or expressions of feelings were least among the “severe abuse” group.