Child maltreatment: Differences in perceptions between parents in low income and middle income neighbourhoods

A comparison of perceptions of situations of child maltreatment by parents in a low income deprived neighbourhood and a middle income neighbourhood has been the subject of a study conducted in Israel. The findings of the research, in which 110 families were interviewed, indicated that what differed between these samples was not only the beliefs regarding effective and appropriate child-rearing practices but also the rationale behind these beliefs. The findings also indicated that parental practices could be considered as maltreatment in one socio-ecological context and not in another. Parents in the low income deprived neighbourhood emphasized the risk in their neighbourhood as the rationale for monitoring and controlling their children's behaviour. In the middle income neighbourhood, parents believed they could use less restrictive methods in their child-rearing practices. The need to consider the adaptive nature of parenting behaviours within their socio-ecological context when assessing and intervening in situations of child maltreatment is discussed.