Child Maltreatment Intervention: Directions and Issues

Abstract

This article begins with a brief review of various non‐medical intervention procedures for child maltreatment. Psychological intervention is reviewed in more depth, with an emphasis placed on those treatments which have been empirically evaluated. Finally, the article discusses methodological and ethical issues concerning outcome research on maltreatment intervention.

Treatment of Child Abuse: A Review of the Behavioral Interventions

“…Although the restraints in conducting research with abusive families are many, they are not insurmountable. As noted by Resick and Sweet (1979) "it is not impossible to conduct sound research on the topic [child abuse]. It does mean that quasi-experimental designs are likely to be more prevalent than true experiments in this area" (p. 151).…”

“…Professionals differ in their explanations and theoretical orientations about the causes of abuse, and so their treatment perspectives also vary. The intervention strategies noted in the literature appear under a variety of labels, including legal-correctional, social work, sociological, psychodynamic, behavioral (Resick & Sweet, 1979), psychiatric, and social-situational (Parke & Collmer, 1975). This Behavioral interventions can be broadly divided into two subcategories: (a) strategies that have been or might prove to be successful in changing parent-child interaction patterns, but without data supporting the utility of the strategies and, (b) empirical investigations that define specific dependent and independent variables and demonstrate control of the parent-child behaviors.…”

The Maltreatment of Children: A Review of Theories and Research

“…While the theory unfortunately does not consider cultural factors directly, it does appear to be a promising approach for remediation. Since abusive behavior is not regarded as an ingrained personality defect, but as learned behavior being maintained by the current situation and reinforcers, parent skills training and various other behavioral procedures may be a viable possibility for treatment (see Resick & Sweet, 1979).…”

A special problem in primary prevention: The family that cares about their children but is not able to rear them1

“…(Resick & Sweet, 1979) The not uncommon result of attempts to apply the second model of removal of the children from the custody of the parents is that they may then be placed in an indefinite status (Goldstein, 1973;Pike, 1976) or "in a custody merry-go-round with no brass ring and no winner." (Smith, 1978).…”