The connection between parental communication and physical child abuse: A review of research

Every day, millions of children worldwide experience maltreatment in their families. Understanding the nature of family processes that lead to this outcome is not only a scientific challenge but also a moral task for the research community. This paper examines the topic from a communication perspective, providing an overview of issues addressed in the present literature as relevant for illuminating the relationship between parent-child communication and physical child abuse. The first part of the paper is focused on different approaches to communication between parents and their children, especially considering the classic typology of parenting styles, as well as patterns of family communication. Afterwards, a brief overview of different models of physical child abuse is laid out. Finally, we present a review of studies that have explored the characteristics of physically abusive parents’ communication with their children. In concluding remarks, we propose that the communication perspective has the potential to strengthen not only the theoretical understanding of this topic but also to empower the practical approaches dedicated to the detection and prevention of domestic violence.