Child abuse and pediatric social illness: An epidemiological analysis and ecological reformulation.

Abstract

Children under four years of age hospitalized for child abuse, domestic accidents, failure to thrive, and ingestions were matched with controls admitted for comparably acute medical conditions. A structured parental interview yielded significant case-control differences. Discriminant analysis suggested interrelationships among the case groups and cluster analysis identified three cohesive groups in terms of severity of symptoms. This reformulation provides a matrix for organizing data and an alternative to the present manifestational classification system.

Psychotherapy and Social Support: Unsettling Questions

“…Many couples therapists believe that couples who are embedded in a network of shared friends and family do better over time as a couple, if only because of the embarrassing fact that we tend to behave better when are there are witnesses (a conclusion supported by studies of child abuse). 34 The corresponding question about couples therapy, then, concerns the effect it has on a couple's wider social network, with people outside the treatment setting such as friends, family, neighbors-the web of connection that turns out to be so important to our well-being. The PsycINFO and Medline literature searches did not identify a single study that looked at the effect of couples therapy on a couple's embeddedness in a wider net of social and family relations.…”

The dark side of social support: Understanding the role of social support, drinking behaviors and alcohol outlets for child physical abuse

“…Parents who have fewer contacts with their social network members are more likely to maltreat their children (Coohey, 1995; Giovannoni & Billingsley, 1970; Polansky, Ammons, & Gaudin; 1985; Oats et al, 1979; Wolock & Magura, 1996). Child maltreatment is also more likely to occur when a parent lives further away from his or her social network members (Coohey, 2007; Giovannoni & Billingsley, 1970; Polansky et al, 1985) and perceives his or her network members to be less supportive (Coohey, 1996, 2000, 2007; Daniel, Hampton, & Newberger; 1983; Newberger, Hampton, Mark, & White; 1986; Ortega, 2002; Polansky et al, 1985; Turner & Avison, 1985). Social support and use of social networks fall within the exosystem of the ecological-transactional framework.…”

Child maltreatment in the “children of the nineties”: A cohort study of risk factors

“…Findings in relation to working mothers have been less clear cut (Creighton, 1992;Gillham et al, 1998;Spearly & Lauderdale, 1983). There is a substantial body of research examining the impact of social networks on child maltreatment, mostly showing a higher risk in those families with poor social networks (Coohey, 1996;Newberger, Hampton, Marx, & White, 1986;Polansky, Chalmers, Buttenwieser, & Williams, 1979). Social support may be particularly important in moderating the impact of stressful life events on families at risk (Kotch et al, 1995(Kotch et al, , 1997.…”