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What is the nature of the links which may exist between social deprivation and harm to children? In seeking to shed light on the nature of these links this thesis will draw upon a study of parents' perceptions of the problems faced by them in bringing up children in neighbourhoods characterised by high scores on indices of social deprivation and high levels of child protection registrations. It will be demonstrated that parents facing social disadvantage encounter a range of adversities and hindrances which may have a cumulative adverse effect upon the care of children. The problems to which these lead will be shown to be linked by three main strands:- - social deprivation contributes to the existence of socially and economically impoverished neighbourhoods in which it is difficult for parents to provide a safe and healthy environment for children - by creating material, social, interpersonal and intrapersonal barriers in families, social deprivation can prevent parents from achieving the standards of parenting to which they might aspire and which society expects of them - in interaction with many other factors, social deprivation can contribute to high levels of psychosocial stress within families that may lead some parents to physically injure or neglect their children. In these ways the study will develop the argument that harm to children is linked to deficits in material resources and complex, interacting psychosocial stress factors. The study will be seen to have major implications for service-provision under the Children Act 1989 and promoting "partnership with parents".

Currently, there exists no conclusive etiology of child abuse although there are two major and contrasting theories which attempt to impart a systematic interpretation to the data. The purpose of this study was to determine what are the significant factors in child abuse and to what extent the respective theories render a coherent and comprehensive explanation of these factors. This study aggregated the data on the demographic, social, economic, and psychological features of the child abuse victim and perpetrator. Each study was analyzed according to a methodology of review which considered the problems involved in eliciting meaningful data from a group of studies grounded on different assumptions and conducted according to disparate research designs. The studies were compared and contrasted to determine what factors were significantly related to child abuse. Thereafter, both major theories of child abuse were tested against the findings of the literature review to determine to what extent the respective theories successfully predicted and related significant factors in child abuse. The review of the literature clearly established a demographic profile of the child abuse victim and his family. The abused child is usually very young, typically below the age of three. Neither race nor gender are specifically related to the age of the victim. Abusing families tend to have more than the average number of children, but usually select only one child - frequently, the eldest or the youngest - as the target for abuse. The child is likely to have been born prematurely and to have had more than the usual number of serious physical illnesses or disabilities throughout his life. In addition, a significant number of abused children display intellectual, social, and psychological dysfunction which may have resulted from injuries sustained from previous abuse. Most injuries stemming from child abuse fall into the general category of superficial bruises and welts although compared with accidental childhood injuries, there is a higher frequency of fractures and head injuries. The pattern that emerges from the somewhat limited data is that abused children are unusually impaired in intellectual, social, and psychological functioning. Nearly all child abuse is committed by parental figures most of whom are the natural mothers and fathers of abused children. Most abusing parents are around twenty-five years old reflecting the fact that the majority of abuse victims are infants and younger children. Mothers are the most frequent child abusers. Although only one parent actually attacks the abuse victim, generally speaking, the other parent is overtly, or at least covertly involved in abusing the child. Abusing parents are characterized by a history of anti-social behavior and psychological problems. A general atmosphere of instability and disruption surrounds the child abusing family indicated by frequent discord among married parents, as well as separations and divorces. On all measures of socioeconomic status, child abusing families have low achievement and face the stresses of poverty and its associated conditions. However, neither race nor socioeconomic status distinguish the abusing family when compared with the social, racial, and economic groups to which they belong. Abusing families are distinguished by their transience and inability to maintain social contact with the community or affiliation with social organizations. Neither a sociocultural or a psychodynamic theory of child abuse effectively relates and explains all the significant findings of the literature review. While the former predicts the several environmental factors significantly related to child abuse and the latter explains the significant findings associated with the perpetrator, neither theory provides an explanation of the role of the child abuse victim. This review suggests that an alternative theoretical framework which incorporates environmental factors and relates significant factors about the child abuse victim and perpetrator will produce the most comprehensive explanation of child abuse.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Ohio State University, 1965. / Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 176-206).

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Child maltreatment—a serious public health problem—is a global phenomenon. Parenting programs are considered effective approaches to preventing child maltreatment; however, comprehensive understanding is still lacking of the effectiveness of such programs in all areas of outcomes and the way parenting programs work. This thesis consists of two parts: a quantitative synthesis of high-level evidence about program effects and a qualitative integration of program process. The thesis employs two research methods: meta-analytic review and systematic review. I searched 11 electronic databases to identify studies published between 2000 and 2012. Forty-two studies meeting the eligibility criteria were included in the systematic review, and 21 of these were included in the meta-analysis. The total random effect size was 0.338. The research found that parenting programs successfully reduced substantiated child maltreatment reports. The programs also reduced risk factors and enhanced protective factors associated with child maltreatment. However, program effects began to decrease in the first year after program completion. Parenting programs function by remediating parental cognition, thus changing parenting behaviors and enhancing parent-child relationships. The successful program components include teaching child-rearing knowledge, improving parenting skills and changing parents’ inappropriate attitudes towards children. Parenting programs are demonstrated to be effective public health approaches to avoiding child maltreatment. Parenting programs could produce positive effects in both low- and middle-income countries, as well as high-income countries. The study recommends a longer-term intervention beginning prenatally or at an early age of the children and involving more male caregivers. The evidence-based service of parenting programs could be widely adopted in future practices. The research also indicates that parenting programs could be applicable within the Chinese context, where such programs have not been widely used to date. / published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Philosophy

Background: Adult obesity is a major public health issue for both developed and developing countries. Apart from diet and physical activity, evidence suggests that child abuse may also be a possible risk factor associated with the adult obesity. Methods: The objectives in this review are to systematically identify from 2 electronic databases (PubMed and Google Scholar) and investigate the association between child abuse and adult obesity. The impact of using different self-reported questionnaire to evaluate the abuse experience in childhood are assessed and discussed. Quality and limitations of this review were also emphasized. This systematic review includes articles from various groups of population and explores the different types of abuse. Results: Studies consistently show that child abuse is more likely to be a risk factor of adult obesity after adjustment for age, sex, race, psychological risk behavior, health risk behavior (exercise), and social economic status. During the past decades the association between child abuse and adult obesity has been well explored. Consistent with the inclusive papers, some identified potential and common confounding factors sex, race, age, social economic status, health behavior (exercise), psychosocial risk factors, and mental health is summarized for further study. Discussion: Limitations include reporting and information bias, where child abuse can be assessed self-administered questionnaire, face-to-face interview or child services records. Publication bias is another concern that the null findings are less likely to be publish. Although, the measurement suffers several bias, it did help evaluate the abuse situation in childhood and generalize the association between into a standardize form. Due to the prevalence of child abuse and economic burden related to obesity in China, studies in the developing or recently transitioned setting are needed to clarify the relevance of evidence from Western studies to policy making and public health interventions in China. According to recent studies, polices should consider screening of child abuse to better identify the target population and provide effective interventions that help people who are at high risk of obesity due to the child abuse. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health