Child maltreatment: differences in perceptions between parents in low income and middle income neighbourhoods

Summary A comparison of perceptions of situations of child maltreatmentby parents in a low income deprived neighbourhood and a middleincome neighbourhood has been the subject of a study conductedin Israel. The findings of the research, in which 110 familieswere interviewed, indicated that what differed between thesesamples was not only the beliefs regarding effective and appropriatechild-rearing practices but also the rationale behind thesebeliefs. The findings also indicated that parental practicescould be considered as maltreatment in one socio-ecologicalcontext and not in another. Parents in the low income deprivedneighbourhood emphasized the risk in their neighbourhood asthe rationale for monitoring and controlling their children'sbehaviour. In the middle income neighbourhood, parents believedthey could use less restrictive methods in their child-rearingpractices. The need to consider the adaptive nature of parentingbehaviours within their socio-ecological context when assessingand intervening in situations of child maltreatment is discussed.