Etiology Models of Child Maltreatment

Question 1

What is the etiology?

Answer 1

Etiology is a set of causal factors
Why is this happening?

Question 2

What are the three general etiological perspectives?

Answer 2

1. Psychological/psychiatric model - focuses on the parent’s role as the perpetrator
2. Sociological model - focuses on the social conditions that create stress
3. Effect of child on caregiver model - focuses on the bi-directional nature of the parent-child relationship

Question 3

Do any of the three etiological perspectives explain child maltreatment occurrence on its own?

Answer 3

NO, none of these perspectives adequately explain child maltreatment occurrence on its own

Question 4

What is the psychological/psychiatric perspective?

Answer 4

-Most widely prescribed to by the general public
-Focuses exclusively on the parent - the role that the parent plays in maltreatment
-It makes a link between own childrearing history and subsequent parenting (something about the parents that affect parenting)

Question 5

What is the sociological perspective?

Answer 5

• Criticizes the psychological/psychiatric model arguing that it blames the victim
  -Argues that the psychological model fails to recognize that social conditions create stress that undermines family functioning and cultural values
• Studies linking unemployment, social isolation, and racism to maltreatment

Question 6

What is the effect of child on caregiver perspective?

Answer 6

-Criticizes other models due to the assumption that parenting is uni-directional when it is bi-directional
-Studies show that sometimes only one child in a family is the victim; mistreated children exhibit deviations in interactions and functioning prior to abuse; other child risk factors are associated with maltreatment

Question 7

What is the ecological/transactional model?

Answer 7

The idea that multiple ecologies influence one another, such as individual, family, community, and larger culture

• Addresses the weaknesses of the psychological/psychiatric model, sociological model, and effect of the child on the caregiver model

Question 8

What is developmental psychopathology?

Answer 8

Is an approach of studying pathways toward adaptive and maladaptive outcomes

Question 9

What does the theory of developmental psychopathology include?

Answer 9

1. A mutual study of typical and atypical development
2. Multivariate designs are critical to understanding development - a dynamic interplay of physiological, genetic, social, cognitive, emotional, and cultural influences across time
3. Development occurs in nested contexts - adaptive behavior depends on context, what’s adaptive for a child growing up in an orphanage might not be adaptive for a child growing up in a biological family

Question 10

What does equifinality mean?

Answer 10

Observation that a variety of developmental causes, mechanisms, and pathways made lead to the same outcome

EXAMPLE:
Genetic variability + Supportive parenting + Stressor: death of a parent = Depression in adolescence

Parental substance exposure + Ongoing poverty, chronic neglect, lack of parental investment = depression in adolescence

Question 11

What does multifinality mean?

Answer 11

The observation that the same particular adverse event may lead to different outcomes for different individuals

EXAMPLE:
Recurrent physical abuse = elevated depression in adolescence

Recurrent physical abuse = emotionally well-adjusted

Question 12

What is the macrosystem?

Answer 12

Social attitudes, cultural norm, and national-level policies

• Cultural acceptance of violence
• Cultural ideas about discipline
• National support of early childhood support

Question 13

What is Head Start on a macrosystem level?

Answer 13

• Head Start is a federally funded comprehensive early childhood education, health nutrition, and parent involvement services for low-income families
• This helps on a societal level by alleviating burden/stress of finding/paying child care, improving the quality of parenting

Question 14

What is the exosystem?

Answer 14

Social structures that surround parents and children

• Neighborhood-level poverty
• Neighborhood-level unemployment
• Community violence
• Social isolation, lack of perceived support

Question 15

What is the microsystem?

Answer 15

The immediate context in which maltreatment occurs

Family dynamics and parent characteristics
- substance abuse and psychopathology
- single parent homes
- chaotic, unstable home
- intimate partner violence

Question 16

What is otogenic development?

Answer 16

Developmental processes across the lifespan; individual differences throughout development

• at the level of the individual child
• focuses on key developmental tasks and how other levels can interfere with/or support development

Question 17

What are potentiating factors?

Answer 17

Increases the likelihood of maltreatment occurrence

• Enduring vulnerability factors and transient challengers

Question 18

What are enduring vulnerability factors?

Answer 18

Long-lasting conditions or attributes that elevate the risk for maltreatment

Question 19

What are transient challengers?

Answer 19

Short-term conditions or stressors that have the potential to increase the risk of maltreatment

Question 20

What are compensatory factors?

Answer 20

Decreases the likelihood of maltreatment occurrence

• Enduring protective factors and transient buffers

Question 21

What are enduring protective factors?

Answer 21

Long-lasting conditions or attributes that decrease the risk for maltreatment

Question 22

What are transient buffers?

Answer 22

Short-term conditions or stressors that have the potential to decrease risk for maltreatment

Question 23

When does maltreatment occur according to the ecological transaction model?

Answer 23

Maltreatment occurs when potentiating factors outweigh compensatory factors