Hospital-based primary prevention strategy in child abuse: a multi-level needs addressment.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate a primary prevention effort in child maltreatment, the focus of which was a community-wide endeavor (i.e., subjects were not prescreened for risk potential). Specific components of the planned intervention addressed four causal levels of maltreatment: individual, family, community, and cultural factors. That assessment was intended to build strengths in those parenting areas which are predictive of abusive or neglectful outcomes. Target areas included knowledge of child development, child-rearing attitudes, mother-infant interaction patterns, and parenting skills. A posttest-only control group design was employed. The control postpartum mothers received traditional or routine hospital services; experimental mothers received special in-hospital and after-care services by trained student nurse volunteers. These volunteers functioned in a dual educative/supportive role. Experimental mothers reported more realistic expectations of behavior, embraced more democratic child-rearing principles, providing more verbal stimulation to their infants (reflecting an increased sensitivity), and displayed increased problem-solving abilities.
Taylor
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Hurley Medical Center, Flint, MI 48502.
Beauchamp
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D000328:Adult; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D002657:Child Development; D002668:Child Rearing; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends*; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education*; D011581:Psychological Tests