El maltrato infantil: concepto, tipos, etiología

Resumen

El del maltrato infantil es un problema de una gran complejidad y heterogeneidad. Existen muy diversos tipos de maltrato infantil (maltrato físico, negligencia, abuso sexual, maltrato emocional, mendicidad, corrupción, explotación laboral, maltrato prenatal, síndrome de Münchhausen por poderes, maltrato institucional), cada uno de los cuales tiene su propia definición, su propia etiología y sus propias consecuencias. No obstante esta diversidad y heterogeneidad, es posible hacer una aproximación global al concepto, los tipos y la etiología de los malos tratos infligidos a menores, y eso es lo que trata de aportar este artículo. Tras exponer las dificultades de conceptualización y la heterogeneidad de la noción de malos tratos, se presentan los distintos tipos de malos tratos, con su definición y caracterización respectiva. El artículo concluye con una revisión de las diferentes aproximaciones a la explicación etiológica del maltrato infantil, subrayándose el carácter parcial de muchas de ellas y defendiéndose los modelos más comprensivos y multivariantes, que son los que mejor se acercan a un fenómeno de la complejidad y heterogeneidad de los malos tratos a la infancia.

Abstract

Child abuse is an extremely complex and heterogeneous problem. There are quite different types of child abuse (physical abuse, negligence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, begging, corruption, work exploitation, prenatal abuse, Munchhausen syndrome by proxy, institutional abuse); each has its own definition, etiology, and consequences. In spite of this diversity, it is possible to adopt a global approach toward the concept, types, and etiology of child abuse, and it is what this paper attempts to provide. First it deals with conceptualizing difficulties and the heterogeneity of the notion of child abuse. Different types of abuse are then presented together with their definition and description. To conclude, the paper reviews different approaches leading to an etiological explanation of child abuse. It highlights the partiality of many of these approaches and supports the most comprehensive and multivariant models closest to the complex and heterogeneous nature of child abuse.

Extended Summary

The definition and characterization of the phenomenon of child abuse are full of difficulties due to its complex and heterogeneous reality. This heterogeneity involves the very notion of abuse, the different classification criteria used, the diversity of professional approaches related to this phenomenon, and multiple causes and consequences. There is, however, in spite of these difficulties, a consensus in its definition according to which: any non-accidental action or omission that either threatens or thwarts the security of those under 18 years of age or prevents them from meeting their basic physical and psychological needs is considered abuse. The advantages of a general definition such as this must be countered by the inconveniences posed by its generality which barely reflects the diversity and complexity of the notion.

The article presents a detailed typology of child abuse. Definitions are given for each type of abuse together with indicators and requirements characterizing each one. Types of abuse detailed are: physical abuse, negligence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, begging, corruption, work exploitation, prenatal abuse, Munchhausen syndrome by proxy, and institutional abuse. The boundaries that separate these different types of abuse are not always clear-cut. It is also quite common for a child to be the object of more than one type of abuse.

Understanding what causes child abuse is also full of difficulties, particularly when an overall approach is adopted, for underlying causes leading, for example, to negligence can be very different from those leading to sexual abuse. On the other hand, analyses on the etiology of abuse have undergone a historical change. Thus, initial explanations of a psychiatric-clinical-individualist nature were soon replaced by those focusing entirely on causes with a social origin. Other explanations have stressed the cognitive profile of abusers or the special vulnerability characteristics of abused children-problematic in terms of their health, psychological or behavioral characteristics. The most recent and complex explanations are of a multivariant nature with a strong ecological emphasis. Abuse is seen as the consequence of multiple cultural, social, and personal factors, both from outside and from within the family dynamics. Likewise, these recent theories have highlighted that in order to understand child abuse, it is necessary to take into account both risk factors and protection or buffering factors.

Palabras clave:

• Maltrato infantil
• abuso infantil
• tipos de maltrato
• causas del maltrato

Keywords:

• Child abuse
• types of abuse
• causes of abuse