U of N Child Abuse Study

January 1997 issue of Journal of College Students

Study conducted by Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Assistant Professor of Psychology; Ann E. Larsen, Graduate Student; and, Janis E. Jacobs, Associate Professor of Psychology.

Some of their findings which y'all might find interesting:

1. 20.1% of their students had witnessed mother to father abuse.
2. 21 % had witnessed father to mother abuse.
3. 50.9% reported at least one "act of victimization" (abuse) from their mothers.
4. 31.6% reported at least one "act of victimization" (abuse) from their fathers.
5. 16.8 % reported witnessing mother to father physical abuse.
6. 16.8% reported witnessing father to mother physical abuse.
7. 31.7% reported witnessing mother to father psychological abuse.
8. 27.7% reported witnessing father to mother psychological abuse.
9. 27.7% reported receiving psychological abuse from father.
10. 26.7% reported receiving psychological abuse from mother.
11. 25.7% reported receiving physical abuse from father.
12. 34.7% reported receiving physical abuse from mother.

Mother perpetrated abuse seems to cause more damage to a child's self-esteem and possibly becoming depressed than father perpetrated abuse. Furthermore, abuse from "mother" has generally found to be a factor in children later perpetrating violence of their own, while "father" perpetrated violence has generally found to be a factor in children later becoming "victims" of marital violence.

Remember, these are college kids reporting their observations of their family life so likely less skewed than surveys taken at a battered womens shelter or the Mike Tyson School of Sensitivity Training.

These numbers are remarkably consistent with other studies that I'll dig up and cite if anyone is still interested.

Date: Mon, 20 Jan 1997 20:54:06 -0700 (MST)
From: rhal@primenet.com (Richard A. Halavais)