Meaning and Interpretations of Child Abuse by Abuser Parents: A Qualitative Study

Child abuse has destructive consequences for the abused and the abuser which can launch a cycle of inter-generational violence. Our aim was to understand the constructions of child abuse by adult parents.

The research was carried with generic (basic) qualitative research method. Participants included 12 adults who abused their children during the recent year (2020) at Yazd City. The adult participants were selected by snowball-purposeful sampling. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed with grounded theory analysis method.

After analyzing transcribes, 6 main categories were constructed: abuse transmission, suffered self, normative violence, relationship problems, institutional inefficiency and pressured family. Life world of harassment emerged as the core category.

The findings presented the cycle of abuse created through learning and transmitting.