CDT Researchers at Oregon State University recently completed a study that suggests the way parents view their children is a critical factor in the potential risk of child abuse, and could even be more important than whether the parents are abusive to each other. Results of the study have been published in the Journal of Family Psychology. OSU researchers say the relationship between domestic violence and child abuse is well known. For years, the generally accepted idea is that couples who engage in domestic abuse are more likely to abuse their children.
Experts have differing opinions on the reasons why.
Some say the abuse is a learned behavior - if the father hits the mother, she is more likely to hit the children. Or the father will extend his abuse to the child as well as his wife. Others suggest that the children are unfairly blamed for the problems between the parents. The researchers at OSU found that negative perceptions of the child not only are important, they also take precedence over the parents' relationship with each other. But factor out the negative views and the risk of child abuse is greatly reduced, even among couples who are abusive to each other.