It is seen that child abuse is experienced intensely all over the world. Research on the cause of child abuse and what can be done has gained momentum.The aim of this study was to investigate factors predicting the risk that parents of children aged 0-6 years would abuse their children. The sample 350 consisted of parents of children aged 0-6 years living in Turkey's central provinces. We recruited 350 parents, but 97 were excluded from the sample because they did not meet eligibility criteria, leaving a final sample of 253 parents. Parents completed the Child Abuse Potential Inventory and the data were analyzed with independent-samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance. We found that parents’ abuse potential was related to their educational background, employment status and sector of work, but not the gender of the parent, the age or gender of their children or their city of residence. Mothers working as teachers had lower potential for abuse than non-working mothers, indicating that pedagogical training helps to reduce in the risk that parents will abuse their young children. The abuse potential of the parents varied according to the line of business they were employed. Considering that especially teacher mothers have low abuse potential compared to mothers who are not working, it makes us think that having a pedagogical formation is a determining factor in this low potential. In line with these results, parents can be educated about how they can be more effective in treating their abusive behavior, and their awareness can be increased. Campaigns to increase the awareness level in the society can be spread.

child abuse, child abuse potentials, potentials of parents