Risk factors for child physical abuse

We review the risk and protective factors for child physical abuse (CPA). A n etiological model based on moderate to strongly supported risk factors wo uld begin with distal perpetrator variables of being abused as a child/teen and receiving less family social support as a child. Next might come curre nt family variables such as parents' youth, father's drinking, and family's living in a community that is impoverished and/or has a lower percentage o f two parent families. More proximal variables that increase the probabilit y of parents, especially mothers, employing severe or abusive physical tact ics could include mothers' dysphoria (e.g., unhappiness, emotional distress , anxiety, loneliness and isolation, depression, somatic complaints, interp ersonal problems, feelings of incompetence as a parent, a tendency toward b ecoming upset and angry), and stress (more stressful life events, including parenting and other family stresses) and coping (most likely a protective factor, including problem solving and social support). Finally, risk factor s that are proximal to abuse could include mothers' high reactivity (impuls ivity, high negative affect and autonomic nervous system arousal), high-ris k parenting (harsh discipline strategies, verbal aggression, yelling), and negative attributions, and children's behavior problems (e.g., socialized a ggression, attention deficits, and internalizing and externalizing problems ). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.