1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«This study aims to examine psychological maltreatment (PM) prevalence, co-occurrence with other forms of maltreatment, and principal manifestations in reported and substantiated cases in Quebec between 2007 and 2010.» (p. 77)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
L’échantillon est composé de la documentation entourant les cas de signalement à la protection de la jeunesse pour la période de 2007 à 2010.

Type de traitement des données :
Réflexion critique
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«Our study suggests that there is a possible difficulty for child protection workers to identify direct forms of PM, even those cited as examples in the YPA [Quebec Youth Protection Act], including denigration, serious threats, isolation, exploitation, emotional rejection, and indifference. Among these manifestations of PM, denigration was the only direct form identified by Quebec child protection workers with some frequency in our data.» (p. 91-92) «In this study, police officers in particular reported cases involving PM. In Montreal, as in other regions of Quebec, a police protocol is in force requiring that a report be made as soon as a call is received regarding conjugal violence when a child is present. This suggests a reporting bias that could partly explain the predominance of PM cases involving exposure of a child to serious parental conflict or conjugal or family violence compared to cases in which children are directly targeted by PM. Another possible explanation is that reported cases of direct PM are more difficult to substantiate than those involving only indirect PM. Since PM is mostly reported by the police, official police reports attesting to the veracity of the facts are also necessarily produced. However, since PM is less acknowledged by the parents who commit it, cases reported for this sole reason are more likely to be treated by the courts than on a voluntary basis.» (p. 93-94)