سوء استفاده در دوران کودکی به عنوان یک منبع ممکن برای مداخله زودهنگام برای مشکلات خشونت و آسیب شناسی روانی

Reviewed research on abuse in childhood. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, as well as children witnessing parents abuse each other, were all found to be associated with later problems with violence and psychopathology. No causal conclusions could be drawn because of the correlational nature of the research. Also, research into possible interventions was reviewed. At least somewhat effective interventions for stopping abuse once it begins are available for all of the types of abuse. However, there are no data on the effects of these interventions on long-term problems of violence or psychopathology. It is recommended that psychopathologists and therapists collaborate in long-term studies which utilize intervention as a tool for experimentally investigating the relationships between childhood abuse and later problems of violence or psychopathology.

ABUSE PROBLEMS IN CHILDHOOD—including physical abuse of child, sexual abuse of child, verbal abuse of child, and child witnessing parents or step-parents abuse each other—are all too common. Sappington, Pharr, Tunstall, and Rickert (1997) found that 49% of college students had suffered at least one of those forms of abuse; while violence in the streets is measured in terms of incidences per 100,000, family violence is measured in terms of incidents per 1,000 (Gelles & Straus, 1988). Sappington et al. (1997) found that 6% of college students were physically abused as children; Malinosky-Rummell and Hansen (1993) found that 5.7 cases of physical abuse for every 1,000 children were reported to child protection agencies in 1 year. Sexual abuse as a child averages 22% for girls and 7% for boys across various studies; 25–30% of the abuse occurs in children under 7 years old (Wolfe, Reppucci, & Hart, 1995). Verbal/psychological abuse is the most common form of abuse Forth & Chamberland 1995 and Sappington et al. 1997, although it is probably the least studied (Becker et al., 1995). Many children witness their parents or step-parents abuse each other: Abbott, Johnson, Koziol-McLain, and Lowenstein (1995) found that 54.2% of women at an emergency clinic had been assaulted or threatened by their partners at some time, 11.7% within the past month; Bohannon, Dosser, and Lindley (1995) found that 57% of military couples reported domestic violence. Such abuse within the home is of concern in its own right. However, this article will focus on long-term problems associated with abuse in the childhood home and their possible prevention. After a brief discussion of research strategies, it will explore the links between childhood abuse and later violence or psychopathology. It will then examine interventions that attempt to prevent or stop abuse or that attempt to ameliorate its effects. The emphasis will be on the possibility that early intervention with families that have experienced or are at risk of experiencing abuse may be a cost effective way to reduce violence and psychopathology.