Crossing the line from physical discipline to child abuse: how much is too much?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to better differentiate physical discipline, corporal punishment, and physical child abuse based on samples drawn from the United States. METHODOLOGY: The American literature was examined to differentiate these three constructs, first on such dimensions as severity, intention, and child effects; and second on key contextual or environmental factors empirically associated with higher rates of violent behavior in families. Third, normative data on parental spanking frequencies were summarized to better operationalize patterns of physical discipline among abusive and nonabusive parents. RESULTS: Five articles that met selection criteria revealed that abusive parents spanked their children more often than did nonabusive parents. Aggregated data from nonabusive parents were used to compute a continuum or "normal range" of daily spanking frequencies from 0 to 5.73 (M = 2.5) times in 24 hours. CONCLUSION: While further research is needed to address spanking intensity, severity, and context, results of the research suggest that "relative exposure" to spanking may be an additional risk marker for abuse when considered with other known indicators or risk factors.

Parent-child interactions in alcoholic and nonalcoholic families.

A community-recruited sample of alcoholic and nonalcoholic families was videotaped in a standardized play task involving parents and their preschool-aged sons. Microanalyses revealed that alcoholic families had lower dyadic synchrony, that parents were viewed as less able to engage their children, and that the coders liked the control parents and children more. Variations in the parent-child interactions are discussed.

The role of parental stress in physically abusive families.

This study examines the role of several components of parental stress in physically abusive and nonabusive families with conduct-disordered children. The 123 families studied were seen in a parenting clinic aimed at improving parent-child interactions in families with a highly oppositional child. Data were collected over a several-week period and included both mother and father self-report measures and independent observations by trained researchers. Parental stress was found to play an important role in abusive families. Physically abusive families were significantly more often low income, had younger mothers with less education, more frequently reported a family history of child abuse, and were more likely to be abusing alcohol or drugs. Abusive mothers reported more stress due to frequent life events, and had a more negative perception of these events. Further, these mothers had higher rates of both depression and state anxiety. Abusive fathers spanked their children significantly more often than the nonabusive fathers, and abusive mothers had the highest frequency of critical statements directed at their children. Children from abusive households had significantly more behavior problems. Finally, abusive mothers reported more marital dissatisfaction and social isolation than their nonabusive counterparts.

CP-60,993, a new dianemycin-like ionophore produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus ATCC 39305: fermentation, isolation and characterization.

CP-60,993, 19-epi-dianemycin, is a novel polycyclic ether antibiotic produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus ATCC 39305. Fermentation recovery, purification and crystallization were achieved using standard procedures. CP-60,993 was characterized as a monocarboxylic acid. Elemental analysis suggested a molecular formula of C47H78O14 for the free acid and C47H77O14 Na for the sodium salt. Crystalline from CP-60,993 sodium salt shows the following properties: m.p. 193-205 degrees C, E1%(1 cm) = 157 at 232 nm, [alpha]25 degrees C(D) + 11.0 (c 1, methanol). The structure, determined by MS, PMR and CMR, differs from dianemycin only in the stereochemistry at position 19. This was confirmed by X-ray crystallography carried out on the rubidium salt of CP-60,993. It exhibited activity in vitro against Gram-positive and anaerobic bacteria, efficacy against Eimeria coccidia in vivo in poultry, and stimulation in vitro of rumen propionic acid production.

UK-69,753, a novel member of the efrotomycin family of antibiotics. II. Structure determination and biological activity.

A novel antibiotic, UK-69,753, has been isolated from a submerged fermentation of Amycolatopsis orientalis strain N731-15. UK-69,753 has been assigned the structure 1 using spectroscopic means, primarily by NMR analysis. UK-69,753 is a glycoside of factumycin (A40A), a previously reported member of a small group of antibiotics related to aurodox and efrotomycin. UK-69,753 was shown to have potent activity both in vitro and in vivo against the swine pathogen Treponema hyodysenteriae.

UK-63,052 complex, new quinomycin antibiotics from Streptomyces braegensis subsp. japonicus; taxonomy, fermentation, isolation, characterisation and antimicrobial activity.

UK-63,052 complex, a new group of quinomycin-like antibiotics comprising UK-63,052 (factor A), UK-63,598 (factor C), UK-65,662 (factor B) and several uncharacterised minor components, is produced by a new subspecies of the genus Streptomyces for which the name Streptomyces braegensis Dietz subsp. japonicus, is proposed. The strain, N617-29, is characterised by a negative melanin reaction, grey aerial mycelium, spiral spore chains and smooth or slightly warty spores. Structure determination has identified UK-63,052, C56H68N10O14S2, UK-63,598, C53H62N10O14S2 and UK-65,662, C55H66N10O14S2 as quinaldic acid substituted quinomycins with unusual bridgehead sulfur substitution as shown in Fig. 3.

Structure of the natural antibiotic ionophore CP-54,883.

The structural formula of the novel antibiotic ionophore CP-54,883 is deduced by systematic reduction from its 13C and 1H NMR spectra. The molecule consists of a polyether ring network and side chain terminated by an aromatic ring containing a phenoxy and two chlorine substituents. Based partly on an assumed analogy to corresponding regions of the similar structure nigericin-A1, the configurations about the sixteen asymmetric carbons are also derived. A belated crystal structure determination confirms, with the exception of one configuration assumed from nigericin-A1, the conclusions drawn, and shows that the anionic charge is in the phenoxy group, rather than the carboxylic acid function.

Synthesis, absolute configuration, and conformation of the aldose reductase inhibitor sorbinil.

The aldose reductase inhibitor 2,3-dihydro-6-fluorospiro[4H-1-benzopyran-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5 '-dione was resolved into its enantiomers. Sorbinil, the S isomer, was found to be a better inhibitor of the enzyme in vitro and in vivo than the corresponding R isomer. X-ray data on sorbinil, which were used to determine its absolute configuration, are presented. NMR studies of sorbinil in solution indicate the existence of two conformers with a low energy barrier for interconversion.