Maternal compliance to court-ordered assessment in cases of child maltreatment

S M Butler1, N Radia, M Magnatta

  • 1Family Court Clinic, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Child Abuse & Neglect
|February 1, 1994
PubMed

Parental compliance to court-ordered assessment was examined in 82 mothers whose children had been removed from the home due to child maltreatment. Compliant (n = 52) and Noncompliant (n = 30) mothers were compared on parental and psychosocial risk factors previously documented in child maltreatment research. The results indicate that noncompliant mothers tend to be younger, lead more transient lifestyles, show a greater degree of antisocial behavior, and experience more violence in their spousal relationships. The implications of these data for clinical and legal involvement with these families is discussed.

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