Citation

Manthei DJ, Pierce RL, Rothbaum RJ, Manthei U, Keating JP. J. Fam. Violence 1988; 3(2): 131-140.

Affiliation

Department of Social Services, Children''s Hospital at Washington University Medical Center, 400 S. Kingshighway, 63110 St. Louis, Missouri; George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, 63130 St. Louis, Missouri; The Edward Mallinckro

Copyright

(Copyright © 1988, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/BF00994030

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Munchausen syndrome by proxy has received considerable attention in the medical literature. These reports, however, usually focus on descriptions of the medical aspects of the often bizarre patterns of parent-child behaviors which characterize this syndrome. Despite the destructiveness of these behaviors, few attempts have been made to examine the syndrome from the perspective of a variant form of child maltreatment. In light of this, the authors will: (1) define and briefly summarize the history of the syndrome; (2) review the literature focusing particular attention on the definition of the syndrome, pinpointing its relationship to child abuse; (3) provide case studies of the syndrome to illuminate the interplay of medical and psychosocial aspects of the problem; and (4) suggest methods of intervention.