Perceived Seriousness of Child Abuse and Neglect

Abstract

Despite pleas for refinement in the use of the term child maltreatment, researchers have overlooked public perceptions of seriousness as an information source. While borrowing heavily from the literature on seriousness of crime and building upon the pioneering efforts of several child abuse researchers, the present study asks 221 college students in a large southeastern public university to indicate how seriously they regard 83 child maltreat ment items. The results indicate that respondents differentiate various types of maltreatment and that consensus exists across demographic groups. Suggestions are offered in order to refine research concerning patterns of mal treatment and consequences of such victimization.