Child abuse policy has long been a politically contentious topic in the United States. This article points to a critical moment in the mid-1970s in which a small organization, Parents Anonymous, helped shape a paradigm for understanding child abuse and its causes. This approach would remain influential for decades despite contradictory evidence. Although researchers in numerous studies from the 1960s and onward have suggested that racial and social inequality contribute significantly to serious child injury,1,–3 the advocacy work of Parents Anonymous was instrumental in drawing the discussion away from social determinants of health. This article examines the historical origins of the perception of child abuse as being an equal-opportunity social ill related solely to parental mental health rather than to socioeconomic inequities. It uses this historical background to suggest the need for a discussion of the role of social inequities as being at the crux of...
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December 2017
Monthly Feature|
December 01 2017
Lessons From History: Parents Anonymous and Child Abuse Prevention Policy
Mical Raz, MD
Advanced Fellow, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Address correspondence to Mical Raz, MD, PhD, 1310 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Dr, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104. E-mail: [email protected]
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Address correspondence to Mical Raz, MD, PhD, 1310 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Dr, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104. E-mail: [email protected]
POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The author has indicated she has no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The author has indicated she has no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.
Pediatrics (2017) 140 (6): e20170340.
Article history
Accepted:
July 07 2017
Citation
Mical Raz; Lessons From History: Parents Anonymous and Child Abuse Prevention Policy. Pediatrics December 2017; 140 (6): e20170340. 10.1542/peds.2017-0340
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