Abusive Parents :: essays research papers

Researchers at the University ofToronto have taken important steps towardproducing a profile of an abusive parent. Prof.Gary Walters and doctoral student LynnOldershaw of the Department of Psychology havedeveloped a system to characterize parents whophysically abuse their children. This couldultimately quit social service professionals toidentify parents in child abuse. Over the last fiveyears, Walters and Oldershaw, in collaborationwith Darlene Hall of the West End Creche, haveexamined oer 100 gets and their three tosix-year-old children who have been physicallyabused. In the laboratory, the mother and childspend 30 minutes in structured activities such asplaying, eating and cleaning-up. The familyinteraction is video-taped and later analyzed. Theresearchers have developed a system whichallows them to record the effectiveness ofparenting skills. They are particularly interested indisciplinary strategies because abuse just aboutcommonly occurs when the parent wants the childto c omply. "Its a question of trying to determinewhich showcase of parent produces which type of childor which type of child elicits which type of parentalbehaviour," explains Oldershaw. As a result oftheir work, Walters and Oldershaw have identifieddistinct categories of abusive parents and theirchildren. Harsh/intrusive mothers are excessivelyharsh and constantly badger their child to behave. disdain the fact that these mothers humiliate anddisapprove of their child, there are times whenthey hug, kiss or speak to them warmly. This typeof mothering produces an aggressive, disobedientchild. A covert/hostile mother shows no commandingfeelings towards her child. She makes blatantattacks on the childs self-worth and denies himaffection or attention. For his part, the child tries toengage his mothers attention and win herapproval. An emotionally detached mother hasvery little involvement with her child. She appearsdepressed and uninterested in the childs activities.The child of th is type of mother displays nocharacteristics which set him apart from otherchildren. In order to put together a parentingprofile, the two researchers examine themother/child interaction and their perception andfeelings. For instance, Walters and Oldershawtake into account the mothers sense of herself as aparent and her impression of her child. Theresearchers also try to determine the childsperception of himself or herself and of the parent.Abusive parents are often believed to haveinadequate parenting skills and are referred to