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Biomedical subjects

V J Fontana

Publications and source records attributed to V J Fontana.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1984

Observing child abuse.

Evidence from a study conducted at the New York Foundling Hospital and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, as well as previous research by the investigators, shows that abusive mothers are insensitive to the moods and signals of their children. A quantitative analysis of videotaped interaction sequences of 12 mother-child dyads indicated that abusive mothers spend less time looking at their children, are less focused in their attention on them, barrage them with words and actions that are unmodulated by the child's response, are physically coercive, and spend more time issuing directives and orders than mothers from similar backgrounds who do not physically abuse their children. We suggest that child abuse is part of a complex interaction system characterized by lack of mutual attunement between caretaker and child, of which acts of physical violence are dramatic exemplars. These data support the view that in order to ameliorate parenting skills of abusive parents, interactive patterns that appear early in the caretaker-child relationship must be understood and addressed.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

The maltreatment syndrome of children.

The child abuse problem in this country with all its complexities and variations cannot be solved by any one single approach since we are dealing not only with a complex problem but with a multiplicity of human personalities and motivations; just as there is not one cause of child abuse, there certainly cannot be one treatment. We will need every social, medical and governmental resource working collectively in the future if we are to control the child abuse problem effectively in any community and, for that matter, in this country. To achieve any amount of success, massive programs on parenting and family care, standardized in quality with emphasis on prevention and early detection, must be effectively developed by the medical-social disciplines responsible for child welfare in this country. The fact that we do not have definitive answers to child abuse control is one of the depressing aspects of the problem today. However, clues to the prevention and control of this social-medical disease which appear to be increasing in epidemic proportions are beginning to surface and will become available to us in the very near future. Instead of believing that we always will be limited by the knowledge we now possess we should involve ourselves; we should engage in an all-out effort to recognize, report and protect the maltreated child while at the same time offering help to the parents. The task is before us, as physicians. We need all the help we can get from social workers, health professionals, teachers, psychologists, sociologists, academicians, and government.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

The abused child.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Child Abuse↗
PubMed1976

A multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of child abuse.

A multidisciplinary team of professionals and paraprofessionals provides an innovative therapeutic approach for the treatment of child abuse and neglect among a deprived and disadvantaged population of abusing mothers. The therapeutic approach stresses residential care for mother and child, behavior modification through corrective child care experiences, personality modifications through individual and group therapy, and environmental and social changes through staff assistance and education.

Adolescent↗