The Nature of Stress in Child-Abusing Families: A Factor Analytic Study 1

Abstract

An instrument for measuring stress (the Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes: FILE) was administered to 151 parents of abused children. A factor analytic treatment of the results indicated that ten different aspects of stress (factors) best explained the data. Several of these factors seemed to be unique to the abusing environment while the rest were similar to those found in less atypical samples. The results suggest that (a) “local factor analyses” should be employed with atypical samples and (b) both measures of types of stress as well as general stress may be useful. The ten stress factors identified were (1) Trouble with Teenagers, (2) Violence and Separation, (3) Legal Violations, (4) Work, (5) Family Loss, (6) Financial Strains, (7) Illness and Family Care Strains, (8) Public Assistance, (9) Major Changes in Family Situation, and (10) Young Child Management Focus. The “unique” factors that only appeared in our child-abusing sample were (1) Trouble with Teenagers, (2) Violence and Separation, and (8) Public Assistance.