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Psychological maltreatment: Toward an operational definition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 October 2008

Robin A. McGee and
David A. Wolfe
Robin A. McGee
Affiliation:
The University of Western Ontario and The Institute for the Prevention of Child Abuse
David A. Wolfe*
Affiliation:
The University of Western Ontario and The Institute for the Prevention of Child Abuse
*
Address reprint requests to: David A. Wolfe, Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C2 Canada.
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Abstract

Despite consensus on the existence and importance of psychological maltreatment, there is far less agreement on how it should be defined. This article reviews the current definitions, proposes a theoretical clarification of the concept, and describes its relevance for the field of developmental psychopathology. We conceptualize psychological maltreatment as the interaction between maltreating parent behaviors and the special vulnerabilities of a child, particularly his or her developmental level. Also, we restrict the definition of psychological maltreatment to verbal and nonverbal parent communication; parental acts that involve physical or sexual contact are excluded. This effort strives to minimize the redundancy with the definitions of other forms of maltreatment and facilitate research into the effects of all forms of victimization.

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Type
Target Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , January 1991, pp. 3 - 18
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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