Defining child maltreatment: ratings of parental behaviors.
This study investigated adolescents' assessment of various forms of child abuse and neglect. Participants (N = 204) rated the seriousness of vignettes describing a variety of parental actions relative to the degree of harm each was perceived to have on a child's welfare. Adolescents' responses were compared to those of community members and professionals as reported by Giovannoni and Becerra (1979). Results indicated that adolescents were somewhat similar to community members in their ratings; however, they were more severe in their judgments of parenting behaviors on 52 of the 65 items. As a group, adolescents were very critical of the parents' actions, suggesting that they are highly idealistic regarding parental treatment of children and may maintain inappropriate expectations for those responsible for raising children.
Roscoe
B
B
University Honors Program, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant 48859.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012931:Social Environment