Teachers' beliefs about the effects of child abuse.

OBJECTIVE

Teachers' expectations about the effects of physical and emotional abuse on children's classroom behaviors were examined in this study. Not only do teachers have to decide if a particular child is the victim of abuse, they may also have to contend with changes in that child's classroom behavior.

METHOD: Teachers generated what they thought were typical outcomes of physical and emotional abuse on children's classroom behavior.

RESULTS

Responses generally fell into the following categories: lowered self-esteem, heightened aggression, academic difficulties, and poor social interaction skills. Teachers who mentioned lowered self-esteem were more likely to generate it as the result of emotional abuse rather than physical abuse.

CONCLUSIONS

Teachers' expectations generally mirrored research findings as to the actual effects of child abuse. Suggestions are made to incorporate the results in training programs designed to increase teachers' self-confidence in reporting potential cases of child abuse.