Physical Child Abuse Perpetrator Characteristics

Physical child abuse continues to be a major social concern, particularly because the sequelae of physical child abuse can persist long after the experience of abuse. This article presents the practitioner with a representative, albeit not an exhaustive, review of perpetrator characteristics. Perpetrator variables are discussed under four major headings: social, biological, cognitive/affective, and behavioral factors. Each section contains a review of selected variables and a discussion of their possible roles in the occurrence of physical child abuse. Finally, implications for assessment and intervention programs are discussed. Given that no physical child abuse perpetrator typology has been adequately validated, it is underscored that interventions should be tailored to individual perpetrator characteristics with a consideration of factors from other ecological levels.