Clinical Aspects of Child Abuse

Abstract

Child abuse has become one of the most topical clinical problems in the development of Psychiatry and Psychology. Due its complexity, this subject expounds urgent needs to find new ways of analysis and critical approaches. This work describes 42 cases which were found and personally treated by the author between 1982 and 1986 in the Children’s Psychiatric Service of Dr. Exequiel González C. Hospital in the southern area of Santiago. Assuming an operational criterion for each type of child abuse the biodemographic, family, diagnostics and therapeutical evolution antecedents of the patients were analyzed. Many cases of deficient family interaction relationship were found, as well as parental psychiatric pathology, consanguinity with the aggressor and bad economical conditions. These aspects caused a high professional care request and, in spit of the efforts that were made, a high desertion level. With regard to these antecedents, the performance of studies to delimit high risk groups, the relationship with other psychiatric pathologies and the definition of prophylactic and therapeutical actions is proposed in a short, middle and long term.