Conduites abusives et négligentes envers les enfants: Réalités canadienne et américaine.

Abstract
American studies report very high correlations between economic and social poverty of neighborhoods and the incidence rate of family violence and neglect against children (Garbarino and Crouter. 1978; Garbarino and Sherman, 1980). Two studies conducted in Montreal (Quebec) support these results. In the first one, an incidence rate of the order of 4.95 per 1,000 (for a six-months term) families was computed; this is less than half the overall American rate. The best predictors of high incidence rate of child maltreatment remain the percentage of families under the poverty level in a given area, and the percentage of families where the woman is the only breadwinner. A second study was conducted among 291 mothers liveing in equally poor neighborhoods which dramatically differed in their rates of child abuse and neglect. Mothers of high-rate neighborhoods described more centripetal, conflictual, and specialized social support networks that mother of low-rate areas. They used more of the professional services in their search for normative and instrumental support. They also reported being more connected to community formal institutions and organizations. They were much less in touch with the world of work, be it unemployment insurance or work earnings. The more the areas are apart in their maltreatment rate, the stronger is the difference in mothers'' social support configurations. Indications are also found which suggest that the high reported rate may be due in part to more cohesive social networks mainly in the less rate-contrasted pair of neighborhoods. The results confirm the strong association between economic deprivation and family suffering and underline the important role played by psychosocial, political, and cultural factors in parent-child relationships.