Child Abuse

Self-Study Examination

Instructions: After studying the text answer the following true/false or multiple choice questions.  Remember, there's only one answer to each question.

1. The definition of child abuse differs across cultural groups.

a) True
b) False

2. Some cultures or social groups are unable to accept retardation, deformity, illegitimacy, stepchildren or children with different racial backgrounds than their own.

a) True
b) False

3. In some cultures, the burden of raising a child is shared among all adults in the community.

a) True
b) False

4. Children are never valued for their economic contribution to the community.

a) True
b) False

5. There are many actions that a person can take that could be considered abusive toward children.

a) True
b) False

6. Child neglect can result in a variety of physical and emotional problems for the child.

a) True
b) False

7. Usually only one child receives abuse in a family.

a) True
b) False

8. Parenting is a skill that needs to be learned.

a) True
b) False

9. Most children who are abused are under the age of five.

a) True
b) False

10. Children can seduce adults sexually.

a) True
b) False

11. All child molesters are men.

a) True
b) False

12. Any child can be victimized by child abuse or neglect.

a) True
b) False

13. A pedophile is a threat to all children and often cannot be counseled toward normal sexual behavior.

a) True
b) False

14. Sexual abuse has short-term effects on a child.

a) True
b) False

15. Sexual abuse concerns power and control over the child, rather than sexual pleasure for the abuser.

a) True
b) False

16. A sexual molester often victimizes many children before being apprehended.

a) True
b) False

17. A sexual abuser usually also has problems with alcohol or drugs.

a) True
b) False

18. Adolescents usually run away from home because the environment there is abusive.

a) True
b) False

19. Most of the time, the family of a sexual abuser could be considered dysfunctional.

a) True
b) False

20. Emotional abuse also accompanies other types of abuse.

a) True
b) False

21. The scars of the emotional abuse a child experiences are hard to overcome.

a) True
b) False

22. The emotional scars of childhood can turn into violent or destructive behavior when the child becomes an adult.

a) True
b) False

23. Emotional neglect is defined as the act ignoring the emotional needs of a child.

a) True
b) False

24. Children are often confused by inconsistent or contradictory rules placed by adults.

a) True
b) False

25. Children will place socially-acceptable boundaries for their personal space, which they wish to be respected by adults and peers, as they get older.

a) True
b) False

26. Children regard themselves as the “center of the universe,” and base their concept of the world upon their own emotions and needs.

a) True
b) False

27. Abandonment is a painful emotional experience for the child and can often produce lasting psychic effects.

a) True
b) False

28. A child will lose trust in others when abuse has occurred.

a) True
b) False

29. A sexually abused child may become abnormally promiscuous later in life.

a) True
b) False

30. A child who is not disciplined by a parent may procrastinate activities, become impulsive and stubborn, and want instant gratification.

a) True
b) False

31. The person who does not get emotional needs met during childhood will become an adult who constantly seeks to meet those needs through other means.

a) True
b) False

32. A child abuse victim often may not be identified by physical signs, but merely by attitude or demeanor.

a) True
b) False

33. Common issues in an incestuous household include insecurity, denial, isolation and power struggle.

a) True
b) False

34. A child abuser often behaves out of anger, and expresses it by wanting to control the child.

a) True
b) False

35. One of the indications of possible abuse is a child’s low self-confidence.

a) True
b) False

36. “Munchausen Syndrome” by proxy is a form of child abuse.

a) True
b) False

37. Parents can be trusted to tell the truth about their child’s history.

a) True
b) False

38. The parent committing “Munchausen Syndrome” thinks he is obtaining attention by creating medical attention to the child.

a) True
b) False

39. The parent committing “Munchausen Syndrome” does not cause the child’s symptoms.

a) True
b) False

40. A “Munchausen” child victim may have eating disorders.

a) True
b) False

41. A physician can become an unwitting participant in child abuse.

a) True
b) False

42. Repeated instances of “Munchausen Syndrome” can cause a child’s death.

a) True
b) False

43. The mother is most often the perpetrator of “Munchausen Syndrome.”

a) True
b) False

44. Action can be taken by authorities before there is physical proof of suspected child abuse or neglect.

a) True
b) False

45. Most states do not require a person to report child abuse if it is only suspected.

a) True
b) False

46. Children never tell the truth.

a) True
b) False

47. Children can be allowed to live in unsanitary conditions as long they are not abused.

a) True
b) False

48. Reports of child abuse can be filed anonymously.

a) True
b) False

49. Physicians who don’t file reports of suspected abuse are at risk for prosecution.

a) True
b) False

50. Children may be abused in a foster home.

a) True
b) False

51. The Child Protective Agency should be at the center of every community’s efforts to prevent child abuse.

a) True
b) False

52. Teachers are major observers of a child’s behavior and action.

a) True
b) False

53. Only one in ten female and one in twenty male children will experience inappropriate sexual contact from an adult.

a) True
b) False

54. A “Well Baby” program which helps instruct new parents and identify dysfunctional families can help to prevent abuse and is more cost-effective in the long run for public agencies.

a) True
b) False

55. In order for a child to heal from abuse, he must let go of his hatred toward the abuser.

a) True
b) False

56. Abandonment is often one of the easiest forms of abuse for a child to heal from, because there is never an explanation for the reason for abandonment.

a) True
b) False

57. A nurse in a hospital does not have the responsibility of informing young parents of the resources available to them.

a) True
b) False

58. Children are protected by the Bill of Rights.

a) True
b) False

59. The “Battered Child Syndrome” refers to a condition where a child is repeatedly abused over a period of time.

a) True
b) False

60. The Child Abuse Prevention and Mistreatment Act defines abuse as that which occurs to anyone aged fourteen or under, and performed by anyone responsible for the child’s welfare.

a) True
b) False

61. An impoverished person who neglects a child due to lack of money or resources is considered an abuser.

a) True
b) False

62. Mental injury occurs when a caretaker commits acts or omissions which cause cognitive, emotional, behavioral or mental disorders.

a) True
b) False

63. Corporal punishment is legal in all schools in the United States.

a) True
b) False

64. Police officers should respond to every report of a missing child as if the child were in immediate danger

a) True
b) False

65. All abused children are competent witnesses in a child abuse case.

a) True
b) False

66. There are reported cases where parents have been wrongly accused of child abuse and have had their children removed from custody by the authorities.

a) True
b) False

67. Verbal abuse toward children can often be as damaging as physical abuse.

a) True
b) False

68. A child who experiences emotional abuse, as mentioned in the Guarino article, can experience, later in life:

a) a nervous breakdown.
b) a loss of the sense of self.
c) lack of intelligence.
d) all of the above.

69. A parent who fluctuates between affection for and emotional abuse toward his children has the best chance of being rehabilitated.

a) True
b) False

70. A parent should not apologize to children for verbally chastising them, as it lessens the child’s respect for the parent.

a) True
b) False

71. Verbal abuse plays on a child’s basic fear of abandonment.

a) True
b) False

72. To avoid committing verbal abuse, an angry parent should:

a) take deep breaths
b) write down thoughts
c) exercise
d) do all of the above

73. Borderline personality disorder is caused by a temporary psychosis while under stress or the influence of drugs.

a) True
b) False

74. Some research has shown that abusive parents often experience a lack of empathy towards their children and do not recognize a child’s emotional signals.

a) True
b) False

75. Kaufman and Ziglar found that over half of those adults who were abused as children abuse their own children.

a) True
b) False

76. When faced with conflict, abused children often:

a) attribute hostile intentions to others
b) misinterpret frustrating social encounters
c) view aggression as the only solution to conflict
d) all of the above

77. The policy of public welfare organizations of reunifying families where abuse has occurred has, on the whole, resulted in further problems for children.

a) True
b) False

78. The Child Welfare Act of 1980 gave abusive parents 18 months to make a reasonable effort at reform.

a) True
b) False

79. In the case of Clifford Triplett, the child was abused because a caseworker was unable to document abuse in the home.

a) True
b) False

80. According to the Michelmore article, child maltreatment deaths are put at several thousand a year.

a) True
b) False

81. In the state of Missouri between the years 1983 and 1986, in the deaths of children ages 4 and under, the circumstances of nearly two-thirds of cases were found to be:

a) conclusively child abuse or neglect cases.
b) attributed to SIDS.
c) highly suspicious, or could not be determined because of poor documentation.
d) none of the above.

82. Primatologists discovered that by placing abused primate infants in a nursery, they were raised to be more abusive as adults.

a) True
b) False

83. Primates learn non-abusive behavior more slowly than humans.

a) True
b) False

84. Rather than separating parent and child in an abusive situation researchers found that it was better to do one of the following to foster a nurturing environment:

a) providing examples of good mothers as models
b) keeping mother and child away from relatives
c) providing livable quarters
d) a and c

85. Parents who give attention to their children by overwhelming them with material goods can be just as abusive as parents who physically abuse.

a) True
b) False

86. According to Alice Johnson, the stories of abused children who became abusers as adults have, for the most part, been sensationalized.

a) True
b) False

87. According to a 1986 USC survey, the percentage of teenagers who expected to be full-time homemakers by age 30 was

a) 12 percent
b) 3 percent
c) 43 percent
d) none of the above

88. Surveys indicate that young parents spend less time parenting their children and depend more upon television and material goods as a substitute for time with children.

a) True
b) False

89. An individual can retain custody of children although indicted for a violent crime.

a) True
b) False

90. The long-term effects of child victimization are difficult to determine because many other events may also affect a childs future development.

a) True
b) False

91. Figures comparing child abuse in families with higher and lower income levels may be affected by the fact that those at a higher level are able to conceal incidences with private medical care, whereas families at lower levels who deal with public services

a) True
b) False

92. According to Cathy Spatz Widom, research on the relationship between child abuse and later destructive behavior should focus on:

a) how various factors protect children from the negative effects of child abuse.
b) how early experiences relate to later behavior.
c) recognizing possible multiple pathways.
d) all of the above.

93. The Donnelly article suggests that a complete approach program to combating child abuse problem should involve one of the following:

a) educating the community about the magnitude of the problem.
b) financial support for child abuse prevention agencies.
c) government legislation creating stronger penalties for abusers.
d) all of the above.

94. Home visitation of new parents by professional or volunteer workers may be one of the best ways to prevent them from turning into dysfunctional families.

a) True
b) False

95. Many of the new parents participating in the Hawaii Healthy Start program refused the services it offered.

a) True
b) False

96. National statistics show that as many as a quarter of all alleged child abuse cases are closed as unfounded.

a) True
b) False

97. The Maine panel discussion concluded that there were no data-based studies which could tell whether a child had been sexually abused, based upon the symptoms with which sexual abuse is usually identified.

a) True
b) False

98. The McMartin case ended in mistrial because mental health workers were unable to determine whether or not the children at the daycare center had been abused.

a) True
b) False

99. According to the Besharov article, reports of child abuse are increasing faster than many agencies can handle them, but detection and reporting of child abuse remains haphazard and incomplete.

a) True
b) False

100. Each year there are over 500,000 unsubstantiated cases of investigated child abuse in the United States according to child protective agencies.

a) True
b) False