Discusses a study designed to examine the efficacy of parental education programs in the prevention of child abuse.
This paper begins with a discussion of the different categories of child abuse, the emotional effects of child abuse, and some statistical information concerning child abuse. The importance of preventing child abuse is then discussed; it is followed by an outline of a study designed to investigate the efficacy of educational programs in preventing primary or secondary instances of child abuse.
“Child abuse is widespread public health concern that deserves attention. Abused children experience several adverse effects, including physical, psychological and emotional effects, which can pervade into adulthood. There are four categories of abuse, which include physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as neglect (Joughin, 2003). These various types of abuse result in different effects, with physical abuse and neglect causing the most detrimental physical effects, including death. The exact scope and severity of abuse remains to be completely understood (Trocme et al., 2003), and relatively few treatments and prevention measures have demonstrated success in the reduction of child abuse (Peterson et al., 2003). It is important to focus efforts on the development of effective prevention measures in regards to child abuse in order to reduce the number of children being maltreated, and thus reduce the number of individuals experiencing adverse physical, psychological, or emotional effects due to abuse.”