Mothers-to-be who believe infants dirty their diapers to bother their parents or purposefully ignore their mothers may be more likely to abuse or neglect their young children, a new study suggests.
US researchers found that eight per cent of about 500 babies born in a small Southeastern city had at least one alleged or substantiated child abuse or neglect case on record.
But that grew to 15 per cent of infants born to women who scored the highest on a measure of "hostile attributions" during pregnancy.
It wasn't clear whether it was the mothers who were responsible for the maltreatment. But researchers said the study could still help doctors spot which women might need extra help when expecting a new baby.
"I think abusive parents often see (hostile intent) when it's not there," said Joel Milner, from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
"They can misperceive the child's behaviour as being intentionally annoying," said Milner, who wrote a commentary published with the new study.
"When people are annoying us... we tend to be hostile and aggressive in return. They are more likely to view the child in a negative way."
Lisa Berlin from the University of Maryland School of Social Work in Baltimore and her colleagues recruited 499 women from public and private prenatal care offices and interviewed them midway through their pregnancies.
The women were asked about both positive and negative intentions of infants, such as, "Do babies seek praise when they do something clever?" and "Do babies ignore their mothers to be annoying?" The researchers ranked women's answers on a scale from one to five, where five indicated the most hostile attributions for babies.
Then, using Child Protective Services (CPS) records, Berlin's team calculated that each one-point increase on that scale was tied to a 26-per cent greater chance that a child would be abused or neglected by about age two.
Four per cent of babies born to women with the lowest, most positive prenatal attribution score had a CPS report, compared to 15 per cent of those whose mothers scored highest, with the most negative views.
Women with more hostile attribution were also more likely to report yelling at or spanking their child on a follow-up phone interview, the researchers reported this week in JAMA Pediatrics.
Berlin and her colleagues said doctors can assess how mothers and mothers-to-be view babies' intentions and start a discussion or refer women to parenting services if they perceive a problem.
(Reuters)
Recognising child abuse
The first step in helping abused or neglected children is learning to recognise the signs of child abuse and neglect. The presence of a single sign does not prove child abuse is occurring in a family, but a closer look at the situation may be warranted when these signs appear repeatedly or in combination.
The following signs may signal the presence of child abuse or neglect.
The child:
�2 Shows sudden changes in behaviour or school performance
�2 Has not received help for physical or medical problems brought to the parents' attention
�2 Has learning problems (or difficulty concentrating) that cannot be attributed to specific physical or psychological causes
�2 Is always watchful, as though preparing for something bad to happen
�2 Lacks adult supervision
�2 Is overly compliant, passive, or withdrawn
�2 Comes to school or other activities early, stays late, and does not want to go home
The parent:
�2 Shows little concern for the child
�2 Denies the existence of–or blames the child for–the child's problems in school or at home
�2 Asks teachers or other caregivers to use harsh physical discipline if the child misbehaves
�2 Sees the child as entirely bad, worthless, or burdensome
�2 Demands a level of physical or academic performance the child cannot achieve
�2 Looks primarily to the child for care, attention, and satisfaction of emotional needs
The parent and child:
�2 Rarely touch or look at each other
�2 Consider their relationship entirely negative
�2 State that they do not like each other (childwelfare.gov)
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