Toward an integrated framework for understanding child physical abuse

The article constructed an integrated conceptual framework for understanding child physical abuse based on a content analysis of different theories. Three major determinants of physical abuse were identified: exposure to aggression, exposure to stressors, and access to resources. To test the framework, we included variables from all three major categories in the analyses.

Data from a case-comparison study that included 81 physically abusive and 148 nonabusive mothers was used. Logistic regression determined the relative importance of the predictors.

The probability of child physical abuse varied in the expected direction with the number of emotional resources received (listening, help with decision-making, companionship), the number of stressors experienced, and the mothers exposure to physical abuse by their own mothers, current partners, and former partners. The estimation results showed that exposure to aggression in one's own childhood (abused by one's own mother) and exposure to domestic violence in one's adult life (abused by one's previous and current partners) were the most potent factors for predicting whether a mother physically abused her child.

The results suggest further research on the interdependencies between domestic violence and child physical abuse.