The aim of this study was to compare cases of physical abuse reported to Quebec child protective services (CPS) according to whether the abuse occurred alone or co-occurred with other forms of maltreatment. The data were taken from the Quebec Incidence Study (QIS), which examined 4,929 reports investigated by Quebec CPS in the fall of 1998. Of the 514 children who were physically abused, 269 were not subjected to any other type of maltreatment and 245 were also victims of one or two other forms of maltreatment. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses showed that the profile of physical abuse cases varied depending on whether the physical abuse occurred alone (called dysnormality) or in combination with one or two other forms of maltreatment (dysfunctionality). Results increase knowledge of patterns of physical abuse, such as physical abuse within a disciplinary context, shaken baby syndrome, etc., and the family context within which such abuse occurs.
Child physical abuse with and without other forms of maltreatment: Dysfunctionality versus dysnormality
Child Maltreatment, Volume 12, Issue 4, pp. 303-313
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