When Baby Cries: Hostility Schema in Physical Abuse Risk

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DESCRIPTION (adapted from applicant's abstract): Statement of the Problem: Recent theorizing suggests that automatic accessibility of hostility-related schema (which occurs without intention or awareness) may increase risk for child physical abuse (CPA). If so, strategies for altering information processing activities, which are not part of most intervention strategies, may be needed to augment the effectiveness of programs designed to prevent CPA. Purpose: The overarching goal of this research is to inform prevention efforts by advancing our understanding of information processing mechanisms (e.g., automatic accessibility of hostility-related schema following exposure to an ambiguous or crying child) associated with CPA risk. Specific Aims: To examine whether hostility-related schema are automatically accessible among parents who are at high-risk for CPA. Hypothesis #1. During a lexical decision-making task, high-, compared to low-risk for CPA parents will have shorter latencies for hostility-related words. Hypothesis #2: During a lexical decision-making task, latencies for hostility-related words will be shorter for high-, compared to low-risk, for CPA parents after viewing a quiet and crying child, but not after viewing a smiling child. Methods: The proposed study is the first to use a lexical decision-making task to examine accessibility of hostility-related schema in high-risk for CPA parents. Differences between high- and low-risk parents in their latencies to respond to hostility-related words will be assessed using a 2 (CPA risk; high, low) x 3 (context; quiet, smiling, crying child) analysis of variance with repeated measures on the second factor. Implications: Knowledge generated from this study is expected to inform CPA prevention practices by suggesting potential targets for prevention efforts (e.g., automatic information processes, hostility-related schema). This study seeks to promote attainment of Healthy People 2010 goals to reduce child maltreatment (15- 33a) and related fatalities (15-33b) as well as promote CDC's interest in advancing research that promotes effective prevention of child abuse.