Research shows that physical abuse of a child is determined by many factors, such as characteristics of the parent, the child, the community, the family, and the family's social network. Children who experience physical abuse potentially have many problems in childhood, such as fears, anxiety, aggression, and poor skills in getting along with other children and solving problems. Further, studies show that many abused children experience problems such as violent crime and substance abuse in adulthood. Given that child abuse is determined by many factors, then considering each of these factors in treatment (example: child, parent, family, social network) is important. Most existing treatments for abusive families address only one of these factors (example: either the child or parent but not the whole family and social network) and little is known about cost of services for abused children. Also, many of the studies on physical abuse have been conducted in a university setting; thus, it is unclear whether the same outcomes might be shown when treatment is provided in a real world setting.
The aim of this study is to compare the success of home-based multisystemic therapy (MST) (a treatment that considers all factors related to abuse) to Parent Training (PT) for reducing physically abused children's behavior problems and for reducing parent's abusive behaviors. This project will be based in the community. Families who are referred to the study will have been investigated by the Department of Social Services because a parent or caregiver in the family physically abused one or more of the children. Referred families will be randomly assigned to receive either MST or to receive the Parent Training Group. Treatment for MST families will be conducted in their home. Parent Training will be provided in a community-based children's center. In addition to assessing the therapeutic success of MST vs. PT, we will compare financial costs of each service.
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