10 minute read
Chapter 4 – Physical Abuse
from Test Bank for Child Abuse and Neglect 3rd Edition by Monica L. McCoy and Stefanie M. Keen. ISBN-13 9
by StudyGuide
Test Items
1. When defining child physical abuse a. All states include only harm; not risk of harm b. All states include both harm and risk of harm c. Some states include only harm; some states include only risk of harm d. All states include harm; some also include risk of harm
Answer: D a. incidence b. prevalence c. incidence and prevalence d. none of the above
2. You read a report that tells you there were 323,000 cases of child physical abuse in 2006 under the harm standard. This is providing you with data about the of abuse.
Answer: A a. incidence b. prevalence c. incidence and prevalence d. none of the above
3. You read a research study that says 28% of adults surveyed had experienced child physical abuse. This is providing you with data about the of abuse.
Answer: B a. 10.1% b. 22.7% c. 37.6% d. 54.8% Answer: B
4. Approximately what percentage of cases handled by DSS are about physical abuse?
5. Robert is beaten so badly by his step-father that he is intensive care. This abuse would be categorized as a. Fatal b. Serious c. Moderate d. Mild Answer: B
6. Joann’s arm was broken by her mother. Her abuse would be categorized as a. Fatal b. Serious c. Moderate d. Mild
Answer: B
7. Brad was spanked so hard by his father that he had red marks on his buttocks for two days. His abuse would be categorized as a. Fatal b. Serious c. Moderate d. Mild Answer: C a. Internalization of morality b. Immediate compliance c. Lower rates of aggression d. Better relationship between parents and child
8. Which of the following is a positive outcome of corporal punishment?
Answer: B a. It is associated with more positive outcomes than negative outcomes. b. It is associated with more negative outcomes than positive outcomes. c. It is associated with an equal number of negative and positive outcomes.
9. Which of the following statements is true regarding research findings on corporal punishment?
Answer: B
10. When assessing bruises on a child, you should consider a. the placement of the bruises b. the color of the bruises c. the age of the child d. all of the above
Answer: D a. a red one b. a black/purple one c. a yellow one d. you cannot tell by color
11. Which of the following bruises is likely to be the oldest?
Answer: C a. a bruise on the shin b. a bruise on the elbow c. a bruise on the back d. a bruise on the forehead
12. Which bruise location is most concerning when assessing for abuse?
Answer: C
13. Fractures are the most suspicious if seen in a a. 6-month-old b. 2- year-old c. 5-year-old d. 15-year-old
Answer: A a. wrist bones b. long bones of arms and legs c. finger bones d. toe bones
14. Which bones are more likely to be broken in abusive situations?
Answer: B a. no injury b. minor injury c. fractures d. life-threatening injury
15. What is the most likely result of a fall from 3 feet?
Answer: A
16. The chance of death from a short fall (less than 1.5m/4.7 feet) is slightly less than a. 1 in 100 b. 1 in 1,000 c. 1 in 10,000 d. 1 in 100,000 e. 1 in 1,000,000
Answer: E a. 61 b. 60 c. 31 d. 14
17. According to the research by Barlow et al. (1983), of the 61 children who fell four or more stories, how many were killed?
Answer: D a. over 100 degrees b. over 115 degrees c. over 130 degrees d. over 145 degrees
17. How hot does tap water have to be before it causes second degree burns?
Answer: C a. 100-105 degrees b. 114-118 degrees c. 125-130 degrees d. 145-165 degrees
18. How hot does tap water have to be before it first causes a pain response?
Answer: B a. 0 to 4 years b. 5 to 9 years c. 10 to 14 years d. 15 to 18 years
19. At what age are children most likely to be killed by maltreatment?
Answer: A a. Mother b. Father c. Father substitute (step-father/boyfriend) d. All of the above are equally likely to be guilty of fatal neglect
20. Who is most likely to be guilty of fatal neglect?
Answer: A
21. A mother tells you that her son was feeling ill and she massaged a heated oil on the child’s neck, spine, and ribs. Then she ran a coin along the skin leaving red marks. She has engaged in: a. Mongolian spots b. Cao Gio c. Caida de Mollera d. None of the above
Answer: B
22. Brad is a victim of physical abuse. When a classmate accidentally bumbs into him, Brad gets very angry and insists that the other child hurt him on purpose. Brad is demonstrating a. immaturity b. aggression c. a hostile attribution d. none of the above
Answer: C a. juvenile delinquency b. adult criminal records c. violent crime d. all of the above
23. Physically abuse children have higher rates of than their non-abused peers.
Answer: D True/False
1. A single bruise that is nonaccidental is evidence of abuse in all states.
Answer: False
2. Corporal punishment is illegal in the United States.
Answer: False
3. Corporal punishment is associated with a host of negative outcomes
Answer: True
4. The negative outcomes associated with corporal punishment do not persist into adulthood.
Answer: False
5. Some countries have passed laws making corporal punishment illegal.
Answer: True
6 Bans on spanking significantly reduce child physical abuse.
Answer: False
7. Bans on spanking result in the elimination of spanking as a form of punishment.
Answer: False
8 Children are more likely to attempt to hide abusive injuries than accidental injuries.
Answer: True
9. Mongolian spots area a sign of abuse.
Answer: False
10 Physically abused children are less likely to misbehave at school than are non-abused children.
Answer: False
11. Physically abused children are more likely to have an insecure attachment than are non-abused children.
Answer: True
12 Children who are physically abused are more likely to be aggressive than are non-abused children.
Answer: True
Short Answer Questions
1. Define child physical abuse.
Answer: An act by a caregiver that results in a nonaccidental injury to a child.
2. How does (insert home state) define child physical abuse?
Answer: will vary depending on state of residence
3. What is the difference between incidence and prevalence?
Answer: Incidence is the number of new cases occurring or being diagnosed in a year. While prevalence is the number of cases that exist in a specified population at a given point in time.
4. Should corporal punishment be legal in the U.S.? Why or why not?
Answer: Either response is correct as long as the student supports their answer.
5. What positive effect is consistently linked with corporal punishment?
Answer: Immediate compliance
6. List 3 negative consequences associated with corporal punishment that are seen during childhood
Answer: Any three of these: lower levels of moral internalization, increased aggression, increase in delinquent behavior, increase in antisocial behavior, poorer quality of relationship between parent and child, lower levels of mental health
7. What are the most common visible symptoms of a head injury?
Answer: depressed level of consciousness, respiratory distress, seizures, and vomiting
8. What are the visible symptoms of shaken baby syndrome?
Answer: extreme irritability, problems with feeding, lethargy, and poor muscle tone
9. Describe a glove burn.
Answer: A glove burn covers the fingers and hand with an even edge and no splash marks. It is a suspicious burn.
10. If a child had cigarette burns, what locations on the body would make you more suspicious of abuse? What areas would be less suspicious?
Answer: More suspicious areas: abdomen, genitals, areas of the body usually covered by clothing
Less suspicious areas: fingers and mouth
11. Complete the following sentence. I would be concerned about maltreatment if a child had bruises that were….
Answer: There are several possible answers. For example:
- located on the trunk of the body or behind the ears
- at different phases of healing as indicated by color
- shaped like an object
12. Complete the following sentence. I would be concerned about maltreatment if a child had tap water burns that were…
Answer: There are several possible answers. For example:
- the burn made a perfect glove or sock impression with no splash marks
- the body is burned with the exception of the buttocks
13. Define Cao Gio. Should it be considered child abuse? Why or why not?
Answer: Cao Gio is the Southeast Asian practice of coin rubbing. Coins, or spoons, dipped in heated oil, are rubbed along the child’s skin as a medical treatment. Students may argue that this is or is not abuse, as long as they support their claim.
14. List two examples of gendered physical abuse.
Answer: Female Genital Mutilation and Breast Ironing
15. What explanations are provided to explain why child physical abuse is associated with poor school performance?
Answer: Failure to perform well in school may be related to behavior problems that interfere with learning. Some children may suffer from intellectual problems due to brain injury that resulted from abuse; others do not perform well in school because they are too distracted by their home situation to concentrate. Still others struggle because they miss a lot of school. Students may be kept home when their parents are attempting to hide an abusive injury, or the child may be too hurt to attend. In either case, their sporadic attendance is, at least partially, to blame for their school failure. Finally, abusive families frequently move around a great deal, which leads to discontinuity in the educational process. All of these factors can negatively impact school performance.
16. Define suicidal ideation. How is it related to child physical abuse?
Answer: Suicidal ideation is thoughts about suicide; plans to end one's life; it may include suicide attempts. A history of child physical abuse increases the rate of suicidal ideation.
17. Define PTSD.
Answer: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that occurs in response to experiencing extreme stress (generally involving actual or threatened death or serious injury). The person experiences symptoms including re-experiencing the event, avoiding stimuli reminiscent of the event, and increased arousal for at least one month.
18. List three psychiatric disorders associated with child physical abuse. Answer: Any 3 of these: depression, PTSD, dysthymia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, anxiety disorder, Bipolar Disorder
Additional Case Studies
1. This site has four case studies. The third one deals with physical abuse. The case study includes a synopsis, initial response, theories, interviews and action.
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/first_responders/appendm.cfm http://www.mejfm.com/journal/March2006/childabuse.htm http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/studentsupport/Abuse/html/cases/the_hart.html
2. This article, available on-line, provides five case studies dealing with physical abuse.
3. This case, available on-line, describes a 6th grade boy whose father is using very harsh physical punishment.
4. This chapter includes a two page vignette on physical abuse (pages 12 & 13) followed by a list of programs that might have made a difference (pages 13 & 14). It is written by Widom and Wilson (2014).
Widom, C.S., & Wilson, H.W. (2015) Intergenerational transmission of violence. In J. Lindert & I. Levav (Eds.), Violence and mental health. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8999-8_2
Video Suggestions
1. There are video clips available on-line about the Jessica Beagley case (giving hot sauce to her 5-year-old son as a punishment).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6TUN1ogMos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izynepkJ7hc http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/03/justice/texas-video-beating/index.html
This clip is 3 minutes and 2 seconds. It is ABC news coverage of the case. It was uploaded on 1-31-2011.
This clip is 2 minutes and 47 seconds. It is ABC news coverage of the guilty verdict in her case. It was uploaded August 24, 2011.
2. This 2minute 41 second CNN clip shows Anderson Cooper interviewing Hallie, a young woman. Hallie posted video of her father, Judge William Adams, beating her with a belt. The video aired on Nov. 4, 2011.
This video can spark discussion when corporal punishment should be considered child physical abuse.
3. Radio Flyer (1992), directed by Richard Donner, tells the story of two boys who are abused by their alcoholic step-father. The story is available on Amazon.com for $8.41. Encourage students to discuss the risk factors faced by the boys and to explore why they did not tell their mother or the police about the abuse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgCP72ZLL6g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLaHfZgSOYY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPFz2n1Qt7I https://www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_ health_across_a_lifetime?language=en
4. This 2:05 video clip, Twin Baby Girls Victims of Child Abuse, Neglect, was originally aired on Feb. 13, 2012 by News 10 WAVY.com. The case tells of the discovery of seriously abused 4-month-old twins.
5. This short film (4:59 minutes) was produced by Childline. It Follows me Around: A Film About Physical Abuse was first posted on July 12, 2012. It tells of physical abuse from the point of view of a male victim who is a teenager.
6. This youtube video clip featured Dr. Adam J. Zolotor summarizing his research on the link between spanking and physical abuse. It is 3:11 minutes and was uploaded on Aug. 19, 2008. The clip is titled UNC Study Links Spanking and Physical Abuse.
7. This 15 minute and 51 second Ted Med talk, pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explores the connection between childhood trauma and subsequent health problems. This trauma includes abuse, but as well as other traumas.
8. This file is audio only for one minute, 48 seconds. It was produced by USA Today https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/13/hospitals-seeingmore-severe-child-abuse-injuries-during-coronavirus/3116395001/ You have to scroll down to the black box that says “Hospitals treating more severe child abuse injuries.” It talks about an increase in serious injuries during the pandemic of 2020 following the stay-at-home orders in Pennsylvania. It was posted May 13, 2020.
Discussion Topics
1. Assume you were asked to write the law about child physical abuse for your state. What wording would you use? What things would you include/exclude?
2. How do you think we can best measure how common child physical abuse is in the United States?
3. Should corporal punishment be legal or illegal? If a law is passed to prevent corporal punishment, what should be done to educate parents about alternative methods of discipline?
4. Given that it is much more difficult to see bruising on a darkly pigmented child than on a lightly pigmented child, how can we protect children with darker skin?
5. Consider the stated motivations behind gendered practices like female genital mutilation and breast ironing. Given these motivations, what types of programs might be successful in reducing these practices?
