Clinical Assessment of Child and Adolescent Personality and ...

278 CHAPTER 12 assessing family contextBox 12.4Research Note: A Child Abuse and Neglect Assessment StrategyCrooks and Wolfe (2007) outline a conceptualmodel to guide assessments of child abuse andneglect. Their model emphasizes the need tounderstand, not only the abusive behavior ofthe parent, but the family context in which theabuse takes place. They note that “the impactof maltreatment depends on not only theseverity and chronicity of the abusive eventsthemselves but also how such events interactwith the child’s individual and family characteristics”(p. 646). As result, an assessmentmust focus on a myriad of individual, familial,and cultural factors that research has relatedto child abuse and neglect, as well as the possibleprotective factors that can reduce theimpact of these risk factors.On the basis of this view of child abuseand neglect, Crooks and Wolfe suggest thatmost assessments need to be comprehensiveand need to address the following generalpurposes: (1) identify the general strengthsand needs of the family system; (2) assessparental responses to the demands of childrearing;(3) identify the needs of the child; and(4) assess parent–child relationship and abusedynamics. A summary of the important assessmentobjectives that follow from these overallgoals is provided below. Interested readers arereferred to the Crooks and Wolfe chapter inwhich they provide recommendations for specifictechniques to accomplish each of thesegoals. Many of these techniques are reviewedin other chapters of this text.Goal 1: Identify General Strengths andProblem Areas of Family SystemA. Family Background1. Parental history of rejection and abuseduring own childhood.2. Discipline experienced by parents duringown childhood.3. Family planning and effect of childrenon the marital relationship.4. Parents’ preparedness for and sense ofcompetence in child rearing.B. Marital Relationship1. Length, stability, and quality of maritalrelationship.2. Degree of conflict and physical violencein marital relationship.3. Support from partner in child rearing.C. Areas of Perceived Stress and Supports1. Employment history and satisfaction ofparents.2. Economic stability of family.3. Social support for parents, both within andoutside the family (e.g., number and qualityof contacts with extended family, neighbors,social workers, and church members).D. Parental Physical and Mental Health1. Recent or chronic health problems2. Drug and alcohol use3. Emotional disturbance and social dysfunctionGoal 2: Assess Parental Responsesto Child-Rearing DemandsA. Emotional Reactivity of Parent1. Parents’ perception of how abused childdiffers from siblings and other children.2. Parents’ feelings of anger and loss ofcontrol when interacting with child.3. Typical methods of coping with arousalduring stressful episodes.B. Child-Rearing Methods1. Appropriateness of parental expectationsfor child behavior, given child’sdevelopmental level.2. Typical methods used by parents forcontrolling/disciplining the child.3. Willingness of parents to learn newmethods of discipline.4. Parents’ perception of effectiveness ofdiscipline strategies.5. Child’s response to discipline attempts.(Continues)