Parental acceptance-rejection, child maltreatment and community social support

Abstract

This study examines parent-child relationships, both in abusive and non-abusive families, and the modulating effect of community social support on parental behavior. The sample consisted in 100 cases of suspected child maltreatment and a comparison group of 344 families. Parents were asked to complete the Community Social Support Questionnaire (Gracia et al.,1995) that measures social support in terms of community integration and satisfaction, membership in voluntary organizations and community participation, and use of community resources of social support; and the Parental Acceptance / Rejection Questionnaire (Rohner, 1984). The latter analyzes parental behavior in the following dimensions: Warmth / Affection, Hostility / Aggression, Indifference / Negligence and Undifferentiated rejection. Results indicated an effect of two of the three community social support dimensions on parental behavior. Relations between formal and informal sources of support and implications for social intervention strategies are also considered.