Researchers have shown that certain demographic variables and parenting strategies can predict the degree of potential for child abuse that a mother may experience with her children. The major objective of this study was to determine the specific characteristics and traits that identify mothers who have the greatest potential to abuse or neglect their children by determining whether parenting strategies, age of the mother, educational attainment, and isolation indicated by place of residence and marital status are predictive of the potential for child abuse.

T-tests were performed to see if there significant differences in scale means for the subscales of parenting strategies in urban and rural groups of the sample. All subscale’s scores were significantly different when the urban and rural groups were compared.

T-test and Chi square tests were computed on the relationship between demographic variables including educational attainment, age and marital status and urban and rural groups. Significant differences were found on all three demographic variables.

Four variables were found to be predictive of the potential for child abuse. Four parenting strategies (i.e., spank, reason, allow, and praise) were tested for their power in predicting the potential for child abuse. Only allow was found to be a significant predictor for the potential for child abuse. Educational attainment, support group (which is a combined variable representing marital status and living arrangements) and urban vs. rural residence were found among the demographic variables to be predictors of the potential for child abuse.

These results suggest that although a demographic like educational attainment may be important, the context of parenting (urban vs. rural and support group) and parenting style (allow) are the best predictors of the potential for child abuse.