Child psychological maltreatment: Welcoming a neglected construct into psychological theory.

Child psychological maltreatment is a neglected field of study. For over 30 years, a scarcity of research has documented its pervasiveness and the devastating consequences that psychological maltreatment in childhood has on mental health. However, our current understanding of the phenomenon is still poor. This research aims to rectify this gap in understanding. The central research question is: How can we explain that parents psychologically maltreat their children? The objectives are to establish a state-of-the-art instrument to assess child psychological maltreatment and to investigate the relationship between behavioral, emotional and cognitive aspects of parenting in parents and children’s self-reported experiences of child psychological maltreatment. Findings will be communicated to professionals in the last objective. The research will employ a mixed-methods approach, using qualitative studies to capture lived experiences and solidifying the findings through quantitative methods. The final study will use a longitudinal design to strengthen the conclusions. Altogether, this project will enhance understanding of child psychological maltreatment as it is experienced by both the child and the parent, formalized in a theoretical model. The research is expected to make a significant contribution to professionals’ ability to detect and comprehend cases of child psychological maltreatment in Flanders and beyond, and act as a gateway for future research into the topic.

Keywords:Psychological maltreatment, Child welfare

Disciplines:Parenting problems, Family studies, Counselling, welfare and community services

Project type:PhD project