Applying a Model of Bystander Apathy: Increasing Intervention in Child Emotional Abuse

Abstract

Childcare workers observe many things, most of them are joyful, but a few are horrific. This thesis focused on the latter by applying empirically supported bystander apathy reduction methods to situations of child emotional abuse perpetrated by parents and recognized in the childcare setting. Specifically, an in depth exploration of Bibb Latané and John Darley’s bystander apathy model was applied to cases of children suffering psychological trauma to create guidelines designed to move childcare workers from the first stages of accurate recognition to the final stages of effective reporting. The resulting guidelines include recommendations to help childcare workers progress through noticing emotional abuse symptoms in a childcare setting, recognizing these symptoms as requiring further investigation, assuming responsibility for reporting, knowing how to report, and accepting any costs that may come as a result of intervention.