Characteristics of Abusive Parents (include)

* They are self-righteous and therefore, deny their own involvement in abuse. Some are members of fundamentalist sects which emphasize rigid laws and behaviors.

* The parent under reacts or over reacts to a situation. There may be no middle ground. Similarly, most issues are seen as black-white or yes and no. There is no compromise, no discussion.

* The parents have a history of poor relationships with their own parents, were abused as children and/or were raised in homes where excessive punishment was the norm.

* In contrast to neglecting parents, abusive parents are usually organized, sometimes rigidly so, get things accomplished and can perform in their employment or in operation of the household. Average household income is higher than that of neglecting parents.

Characteristics of Neglecting Parents (Correlates and Features of Neglect) includes:

* Poverty- includes both insufficient income and insufficient material resources.

* The Physical character of the neighborhood, and lack of availability and the unwillingness of persons and informal organizations to help local families.

* The extent of substance addictions.

* The parents own childhood experiences with maltreatment. Parents' childhood, particularly the mothers, having been filled with distress and unhappiness.

* The number of children and the: spacing between them. The higher the number of children and the closer the spacing, the higher the likelihood of neglect.

* The absence of one or both parents. Female head of households are more often neglecting households.

* Presence of an impaired child, or a child who is seen as "'different."

* An intelligence deficit on the part of one or both parents.

* The presence of a serious character disorder, such as apathy, futility or impulsiveness in either parent, especially the mother. The highly impulsive mother is often the single head of the household.

* Problems are handled by denial, escape or passive acceptance of the consequences. Families are acted upon, seldom self-directing.

* Non commitment to positive stands.

* Verbal inaccessibility to others, and an inability to solve problems, probably due to an absence of internal dialogue.

* An uncanny skill in bringing to consciousness the same feelings of futility which everyone has, at least to a small extent.

A typical neglecting mother may have the following features:

* Limited intelligence; failed to achieve more than 8th grade education; has never held public employment; married the first or second man who showed any interest in her. If married, the husband is poorly equipped in education and vocation skills; can seldom see things from the viewpoint of others. She cannot take others' needs into consideration when responding to a conflict they experience; has a vague idea of what her children need, both physically and emotionally.