Review of professional opinions in the literature reveals that (a) the abusing parent was himself raised with some degree of deprivation, (b) the abusing parent brings to his role as parent mistaken notions of child rearing, (c) there is present in the parent a general defect in character structure allowing aggressive impulses to be expressed too freely, and (d) while socioeconomic factors might place added stresses on basic personality weakness, these stresses are not of themselves sufficient or necessary causes of abuse. A recent demographic survey is criticized in light of the foregoing data. (88 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)

Child-abusing parents often have a history of deprivation, misconceptions about child rearing, and a general defect in character structure, but socioeconomic factors alone are not sufficient or necessary causes of abuse.

Paper

The child-abusing parent: a psychological review.

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