Poster Session #2: South UC Ballroom
Psychological Profiles of Child Abusers
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Paul Silverman
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Psychology
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Research has examined both roles of demographic characteristics in predictions and the role of only single variables that may help identify parents who are at risk for perpetrating child abuse. A study using the Minnesota Multi-phasic Personality Inventory (Shealy, 1991) suggests that there are several, diverse profiles of male sex offenders rather than a homogeneous (single) profile. Previous research done by this UM Team has identified subscales on the MMPI-2 and PAI that predict child abuse perpetration above and beyond demographic information, such as gender, age, socioeconomic status, marital status, victimization history, and education level which have all been previously identified as risk factors for perpetrating child abuse (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau, 2013). The following archival data, collected from approximately 100 parenting evaluations, were used in the present study: the Minnesota Multi-phasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2), the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAPI), and demographic information. Parents are identified as abusers and non-abusers using the Child Maltreatment Certainty Scale. Two questions were examined: Is a scale developed by this team (Child Maltreatment Certainty Scale) a valid measure of child abuse perpetration? And, what are the psychological profiles of adults identified as perpetrators? Discovering typical psychological profiles of child abusers can assist in better identification of who may be more likely to perpetrate child abuse.
Category
Social Sciences
Psychological Profiles of Child Abusers
South UC Ballroom
Research has examined both roles of demographic characteristics in predictions and the role of only single variables that may help identify parents who are at risk for perpetrating child abuse. A study using the Minnesota Multi-phasic Personality Inventory (Shealy, 1991) suggests that there are several, diverse profiles of male sex offenders rather than a homogeneous (single) profile. Previous research done by this UM Team has identified subscales on the MMPI-2 and PAI that predict child abuse perpetration above and beyond demographic information, such as gender, age, socioeconomic status, marital status, victimization history, and education level which have all been previously identified as risk factors for perpetrating child abuse (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau, 2013). The following archival data, collected from approximately 100 parenting evaluations, were used in the present study: the Minnesota Multi-phasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2), the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAPI), and demographic information. Parents are identified as abusers and non-abusers using the Child Maltreatment Certainty Scale. Two questions were examined: Is a scale developed by this team (Child Maltreatment Certainty Scale) a valid measure of child abuse perpetration? And, what are the psychological profiles of adults identified as perpetrators? Discovering typical psychological profiles of child abusers can assist in better identification of who may be more likely to perpetrate child abuse.