Abstract
Child maltreatment in the context of parental behavior: parents and children perceptions. According to a model that considers parental bahavior as a continuum, child abuse can be conceptualized as the extreme expression of severe parental practices that are ineffective in promoting children's psychosocial competence. This paper aims to analyze parental behavior in families from the general population and families considered at risk of child maltreatment, both from the perspective of parents and children, a neglected area in parent-child interaction research. Results support this model of parental behavior, and data (both from children and parents perpective) indicates that, in risk families, parents use little physical and verbal expressions of warmth and affection, and high levels of hostility, agression, indiference, negligence and rejection. Implication for prevention of child maltreatment are discussed.
