ABSTRACT
Abuse or maltreatment, rather than being a behavior in isolation, is a part of a continuum of parent-child interactions, of parent "treatment". An example of studies on high risk families is that done by Kotelchuck and Newberger et al. The Family Development Study is a retrospective case control study of pediatric social illness which included child abuse, failure to thrive, accidental injuries, and ingestions. Another set of studies have had as their goal the development of a predictor instrument for the identification of high-risk families and/or individuals. Bavolek et al. tested a large number of adolescents in addition to a variety of known abusive adolescents. The Michigan Screening Profile of Parenting is another questionnaire developed to identify high-risk individuals. During childhood and latency, the role expectations and permissions of family and society are relatively stable both for child and parent.
