Child maltreatment: Child maltreatment and attachment theory

摘要: The study of child maltreatment has grown exponentially in the years since identification “battered syndrome” (Kempe, Silverman, and Steele, 1962). In that time area experienced many conflicts missteps to be expected an emerging field. Underlying these problems is lack a single, comprehensive theoretical approach (Newberger, Newberger, Hampton, 1983). It purpose this chapter examine attachment theory regard its adequacy accounting for existing data on abuse neglect. Because was identified as social issue earlier than neglect, it will discussed first. However, early literature, dichotomy difficult, sometimes impossible, make because cases neglect or abuse-with-neglect were included indiscriminately under rubric abuse. One goal disentangle conditions consider separately how relevant understanding them. first studies focused identifying characteristics abusers. Although abusers not usually found mentally ill, they often described more aggressive, punitive, domineering, inconsistent nonabusing parents. As less severe reported investigated, incidence clear parental deviance decreased while evidence cultural influence increased. societal variables associated with unemployment, job dissatisfaction, single-parent families, isolation low-income, multiproblem families.