A statewide study of the public attitudes toward child abuse.
A statewide survey of adults revealed that they are well informed about some aspects of child abuse. They had a generally good intuitive understanding of the characteristics of abused children and child abusers, but a majority seemed to have a "deviance" perspective on child abuse. They considered abusers as abnormal and intractable. While three-quarters of the respondents were aware that they are obligated to report cases of child abuse to the authorities, one-fifth knew someone who had abused a child, but only a third of these actually reported the case.
Dhooper
S S
SS
College of Social Work, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40506-0027.
Royse
D D
DD
Wolfe
L C
LC
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007629:Kentucky; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011639:Public Opinion; D011678:Punishment; D012307:Risk Factors