Knowledge of the characteristics of family structure may be helpful to the pediatrician for predicting child abuse. During the past several decades progressive shifts from the classic family unit of two biological parents and their children to a variety of parental living arrangements have occurred. Most notable are the increases in teenage pregnancies, unmarried motherhood, divorce rates approximating 50% of marriage rates, and frequency of unrelated surrogate parents, most often male, cohabitating in the home. In these settings, identifiable characteristics of the mother, the father or surrogate, the child, the family history, and the immediate neighborhood of the family have been associated with a greater likelihood of child and/or spousal abuse. The accumulated information may be used for preventative intervention.
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