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Families with abused children: a follow-up study of post-crisis support
Insights
Most child abuse and neglect treatment plans fail, offering inadequate support to families. This leads to significant emotional impairment in children, risking future adjustment difficulties.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Social Work
- Pediatric Healthcare
Background:
- Child abuse and neglect pose significant risks to emotional development.
- Effective treatment is crucial for mitigating long-term negative outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of treatment provisions for abused or neglected children.
- To identify factors contributing to successful and unsuccessful interventions.
Main Methods:
- Follow-up study of 14 children three years post-discharge.
- Analysis of treatment plans, family support, and child's emotional state.
Main Results:
- Majority of families received insufficient or inappropriate help.
- Half of the children exhibited emotional impairments predicting future adjustment issues.
- Inappropriate treatment stemmed from lack of understanding and worker biases.
- Effective treatment involved psychosocial evaluation, high worker involvement, and continuity.
Conclusions:
- Current treatment approaches for child abuse and neglect are often inadequate.
- Worker understanding, empathy, and appropriate professional boundaries are vital for effective intervention.
- Differentiated psychosocial evaluation and consistent support are key to positive child outcomes.
Abstract:
Treatment provisions planned and executed were studied in a follow-up of 14 abused or neglected children three years after discharge from the Children's Department of Ullevaal Hospital. A majority of the families were shown to have received either no help or inappropriate help. Half of the children were evaluated as being so emotionally impaired that serious future adjustment problems could be anticipated. Inappropriate treatment related to lack of understanding, workers' own feelings and normative standards. Overidentification with parents and a general belief in their ability to develop caring skills were observed as was the tendency to overlook or minimize the child's experiences and the risk to which he was exposed. Anxiety, insecurity and lack of skill in establishing appropriate relationships prevented workers obtaining adequate bases for evaluation and for effectuation of treatment. Workers' professional situations were unfavorable in specified ways. Appropriate treatment was based on differentiated psychosocial evaluation, a high involvement level by the worker and continuity. The professional situation was also favorable. Workers combined traditional therapeutic approaches with conscious use of professional authority. They intervened actively for protective purposes but were empathetic with both child and parents.