Child abuse and neglect: mothers’ behaviour and perceptions

Abstract

Mothers’ behaviour relating to child maltreatment, their perceptions of such behaviour and its correlates to parents’ characteristics and family background were investigated. Women with at least one child under 18 years were targeted and given an interview questionnaire. A high proportion of mothers reported maltreatment behaviour that constituted emotional [69.0%] and physical [57.1%] abuse as well as neglecting the child’s safety [43.8%], education [46.1%] and medical care [53.3%]. Mothers tended to perceive neglectful behaviour rather than abusive behaviour as child maltreatment. Child maltreatment was significantly associated with parents’ level of education, father’s occupation, mother’s working status, financial problems, mother’s age at the birth of the first child, number of offspring, crowding index and maternal perceptions of maltreatment