Child Abuse

Question 1

What are the most common forms of child maltreatment?

Answer 1

1. Physical abuse
2. Sexual abuse
3. Emotional abuse

Question 2

Does abuse only occur inside of the family?

Answer 2

No it also occurs outside of the family

Question 3

80% of boys sexual abuse is ___ the family

Answer 3

Outside of the family - church, sports etc

Question 4

For girls, most sexual abuse occurs __ the family

Answer 4

Within

Question 5

What is critical to changing child abuse?

Answer 5

Prevention

Question 6

What are the key things that need to be present for abuse to occur?

Answer 6

1. Motivation for abuse
2. Loss of Internal inhibitors (legal, moral, societal taboos)
3. External inhibitors (someone taking the kid away)
4. Resistance by child

Question 7

What gets most people by their internal inhibitors?

Answer 7

The influence of drugs and alcohol

Question 8

Approaches to sexual abuse prevention

Answer 8

1. Resistance building
   - “good touch/bad touch” safety training
   - Some evidence that it works, but children with training who have been abused are more likely to be physically harmed
2. External inhibitors
   - Boy scout experience - add volunteers to the high risk venues for sexual abuse Wrote about abuse so everyone would know + add training for leaders on how to recognize abuse. Scout leaders are mandated reporters.

Question 9

Prevention of physical abuse

Answer 9

1. Parent education
   - parents as first teachers, parenting classes
2. Public health nurse home visitation
   - Randomized controlled trials have shown that PHN visitation during last two trimesters of pregnancy and first two years of the child’s life can reduce physical abuse by 87%

Question 10

Is there a genetic component to abuse?

Answer 10

Knocking out FosB in mice leads to mouse neglect - lack of nurturing

Question 11

What is genetically protective for recovering after abuse?

Answer 11

High levels of MAO activity