Abstract
Purchase PDF (139 K)
E-mail Article
Add to my Quick Links
Cited By in Scopus (0)
Purchase PDF (1395 K)
doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.03.025 
Copyright © 2007 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
Physical abuse during adolescence: Gender differences in the adolescents’ perceptions of family functioning and parenting
Suzanne Sundaya, b, 
, Victor Labrunaa, b, Sandra Kaplana, b, David Pelcovitzc, Jennifer Newmana and Suzanne Salzingerd
Received 8 November 2005;
References and further reading may be available for this article. To view references and further reading you must purchase this article.
Abstract
Objective
To examine the relationship between physical abuse of adolescents and parenting by mothers and fathers and whether the association differs by gender.
Methods
Subjects were adolescents, 51 girls and 45 boys, documented by Child Protective Services (CPS) as physically abused during adolescence. Comparison subjects were non-abused adolescents, 47 girls and 48 boys, from the same suburban communities. Subjects completed the following: Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale, Parental Bonding Instrument, modified Conflict Tactics Scale (assessing physical abuse/punishment by each parent).
Results
Although CPS generally cited fathers as the abuse perpetrators, abused boys and girls often reported experiencing physical maltreatment from both parents. Not surprisingly, comparison subjects rated parents more positively than abused subjects. For both groups, mothers were perceived as more caring and less controlling, were reported to have closer relationships with their adolescents, and were less likely to use abuse/harsh punishment than were fathers. Differences between the adolescents’ perceptions of mothers and fathers were more pronounced for abused than for comparison subjects. Boys’ and girls’ perceptions of parenting were generally similar except that girls, especially the abused girls, reported feeling less close to fathers. Abused girls also viewed mothers as less caring than the other groups viewed mothers. Abused girls were also less likely than abused boys to perceive that either parent, but particularly fathers, had provided them with an optimum style of parenting.
Conclusions
Adolescents who experienced relatively mild physical abuse reported dysfunctional family relationships, which may place them at risk of poor adult outcomes. Adolescents’ reports suggest that CPS reports may underestimate physical maltreatment by mothers.
Keywords: Physical abuse; Adolescence; Gender differences; Family functioning; Parenting
