This study explores the emerging social problem of child-snatching, a phenomenon about which a paucity of prior research exists. Three dimensions of the initial incident of child-snatching are investigated: (1) individual characteristics of parents and children; (2) family characteristics; and (3) circumstances of the child-snatching event. An 84 item questionnaire was developed to study these dimensions and other aspects of child-snatching. Respondents were selected from the mailing list of a national child advocacy organization, Children's Rights, Incorporated. Questionnaires were sent to 400 parents (members and non-members) who had been victims of at least one child-snatching. The one-shot mail out resulted in a return rate of 63.1 percent of usable questionnaires. / The findings suggested that child-snatching is much more varied than previously thought. Although the children tended to be young, their ages ranged from less than two weeks to 15 years. A major discovery was that one or more children who were part of the family were not abducted. Similarly, parents (victims and perpetrators) displayed a wide range of demographic and socio-economic characteristics. At the time of the abduction, parents were in nearly every conceivable marital status and living arrangement. Custody and visitation statuses also were found to vary broadly. Female and male perpetrators tended to exhibit different patterns of abductions depending upon marital and custody conditions. For example, females tended to snatch soon after divorce and permanent cutody decrees whereas males snatched either while informally separated and before permanent custody devisions or two or more years after permanent custody. Data suggest that some parent-victims perpetrated an abduction themselves before the first incident reported in the study. / Whereas children were usually abducted from the home of one of the parents, they were also snatched from other sites. Several perpetrator motives for the abduction were reported, although the modal one, as perceived by parent-victims, was revenge. Finally, major themes of the study are presented and social policy and research directions are discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-03, Section: A, page: 0864. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75072 |
| Contributors | ELLIOTT, CHARLES COURTNEY., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 295 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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