Prediction of child abuse possible?

Press, 12 August 1989, Page 28

Prediction of child abuse possible?

By

NICK BROWN,

of NZPA in Sydney

A Dunedin-based research team claims to have devised a simple but effective method of identifying potentially neglectful or abusive parents before their children, are born. '

The team of acadefhics from Otago University, social , workers from Dunedin’s obstetric hospital and a child psychiatrist from Toronto University has published its findings in the latest edition of the “Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry.” They say that 23 per cent of expectant mothers are at some risk of abusing or neglecting their children.

1 After 10 years of research the Dunedin team has produced a checklist, already in routine use when expectant mothers enrol at the city’s Queen Mary Hospital, for identifying' mothers who need further assessment or possibly “preventive intervention”.

“Our team has introduced or been involved in several of the key interventions which we believe have all contributed to the reduction in incidence of loss of custody and of major parenting problems,” the researchers say;

They recommend the same approach be used widely in New Zealand, emphasising the importance of identifying fami-

lies in which children are at risk of abuse or neglect. Evidence suggested that abusive parental behaviour toward children led to serious problems, such as violent crime, and uncaring or abusive behaviour within the family passed from one generation to another. The team started its research, after trying to help the growing number of families in “psychosocial” difficulty around the time of birth at Queen Mary Hospital. Studies of 500 mothers referred to the Social Services Department led to the team producing its nine-item checklist for predicting child abuse or neglect: • Mother has had frequent changes of address in the year before maternity. • Mother has had psychiatric treatment. • Likely incompetence of mother as a parent because of apparent emotional problems. • Likely incompetence of mother as a parent because of low intellect. • Mother has unrealistic expectations of the new child, r 9 Mother has refused antenatal classes. • Mother has changed her decision regarding adoption of the child. • A previous child was abused or neglected. • Mother suffered parental violence or neglect as a child.

Where a mother was assigned four or more of these factors, she was deemed “high risk,” three factors “moderate risk” and two factors “low risk.” The. researchers then tested the list on a new random sample of 238 expectant women, who were Interviewed and filled in a questionnaire. Two years later three of the mothers had relinquished care of their child (two of these had been categorised as high risk and one low risk) and another two high risk cases had been referred to the Children’s Board for help. All cases referred to the Social Welfare Department or the Child Protection Team had been earlier classed as at risk. The team says the most powerful predictor of problems was the "frequent change of address” item. . “Perhaps it reflects the deficiencies in 'nest building’ and the absence of the network of social belonging thought to be important for early family development and parenting behaviour.” The research team comprises: Roy Muir, an associate professor at the i University of Toronto, social workers Sheila Monaghan and Ruth Gilmore of Queen Mary Hospital, and John Clarkson, Terence Crooks and Tony Egan of Otago University.