VISIBLE BUT UNREPORTED - A CASE FOR THE NOT SERIOUS ENOUGH CASES OF CHILD MALTREATMENT

This study examined the psychosocial characteristics of cases of child maltreatment labelled as ''not serious enough.'' The sample consisted of cases of suspected physical abuse (N = 48), neglect (N = 13), and psychological maltreatment (N = 8) identified by teachers, and a nonab used comparison group (N = 283). Characteristics of children and their parents were evaluated at three ecological levels: individual, family , and social. Results indicated a poor personal and social adjustment of the children in the maltreatment groups, and suggest that the defin ition of cases of maltreatment as not serious enough does not represen t the psychological reality of these children. Discriminant analysis i ndicated that the most important variables for discriminating between all maltreatment groups and the nonabuse group were parents and childr en's perceptions of parental behavior, children's behavioral problems and personal adjustment, parents integration and satisfaction in the c ommunity, and the importance and direction of personal growth emphasiz ed in the family. The importance of other variables such as socioecono mic status, stress, psychological symptoms or number of children appea red to be a function of the different types of child maltreatment. The importance of prevention and intervention efforts before the maltreat ment reaches a serious stage is discussed.