Parents of the battered child: a multidisciplinary group therapy approach to life-threatening behavior.

ABSTRACT: This paper reports the demographic findings and the experience of a three‐year, multidisciplinary group psychotherapy program, with 31 child‐abusing families. No predictive demographic characteristics were identified. The abuse of children ranged from mild bruising to severe brain damage and multiple fractures. Group therapy as an intervention procedure had its successes and failures. The dynamics of male‐female co‐therapists, the peer group sharing, and the capacity to ultimately verbalize inadequacies in the parenting role were crucial factors in therapy. As an experiential encounter the study gives a poignant insight into the personal and family pathology of parents who abuse their children.