Elsevier

Child Abuse & Neglect

Volume 21, Issue 4, April 1997, Pages 367-377
Child Abuse & Neglect

Parenting stress and anger expression as predictors of child abuse potential

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0145-2134(96)00177-9Get rights and content

Abstract

To explore one potential pathway to physical child abuse, the present investigation used hierarchical regression analysis using measures of parenting stress and anger expression to jointly predict child abuse potential. The Parenting Stress Index, State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, and the Child Abuse Potential Inventory were administered to two different samples of New Zealand parents. As expected, both studies revealed parenting stress and anger expression and were individually positively correlated with child abuse potential; the major finding involved the strong joint contribution of parenting stress and anger expression in predicting Child Abuse Potential Inventory scores. Application of findings for intervention and prevention are discussed.

Résumé

Afin d'explorer un des cheminements possibles qui mènent à la maltraitance, cette étude a mesuré le stress des parents et l'expression de leur colère au moyen de l'analyse de régression hiérarchique, pour prédire la possibilité de maltraitance. Le Parenting Stress Index, le State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory et le Child Abuse Potential Inventory ont été administrés à deux échantillons différents de parents en Nouvelle-Zélande. Comme prévu, les deux etudes révèlent qu'il existe une corrélation positive entre le stress des parents et le potentiel de maltraitance, ainsi qu'une corrélation entre l'expression de la colère et le potentiel de maltraitance, ainsi qu'une correlation entre l'expression de la colere et le potentiel de maltraitance. Le constat le plus remarquable est que la présence des deux facteurs prédit des scores élevés pour le Child Abuse Potential Inventory. L'article discute des interventions et de la prévention qui découlent de ces constats.

Resumen

Para explorar uno de los caminos hacia el abuso físico en los niños, la presente investigación utilizó el análisis de regresión jerárquico usando medidas de stress en la crianza y expresiones de rabia para conjuntamente predecir el potencial de abuso. El Inventario de Stress Parental, el “State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory”, y el Inventario de Potencial de Abuso a los Niños, fue administrado en dos muestras diferentes de padres en Nueva Zelandia. Como era de esperarse, ambos estudios revelaron que el estres parental y las expresiones de rabia correlacionaron positiva e individualmente con el potencial de abuso a los niños; el hallazgo mayor se encontró en la fuerte contribución conjunta del estres parental y las expresiones de rabia para predecir los puntajes en el Inventario del Potencial de Abuso a los Niños. Se discuten la aplicación de estos hallazgos para la intervención y la prevención.

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