Child Maltreatment

by

Jill E. Korbin

Introduction

Child maltreatment has been described throughout history and across cultures. The term “maltreatment” has come to include a range of behaviors that frequently co-occur. These include physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, fatal abuse, exploitative child labor, and child prostitution. Definitions of child maltreatment may vary across time and across cultural contexts. An ecological perspective on child maltreatment recognizes the contribution of factors at the individual, family, community, and cultural levels in the etiology and therefore the prevention and remediation of the consequences of child maltreatment. Consequences of child maltreatment vary depending on risk and protective factors. Research has shown that maltreated children are at increased risk for a range of negative outcomes, including delinquency, crime, and ill health. However, protective factors can mitigate the impact of maltreatment.

General Overviews

The topic of child maltreatment is multidisciplinary and, as such, the best general overviews and reference works tend to be edited volumes from multiple perspectives. Dubowitz and DePanfilis 2000 and Reece 2000 are oriented toward practitioners, while Helfer, et al. 1997, Myers 2011, and Wilson and James 2007 are oriented toward both researchers and practitioners working in the field. Helfer, et al. 1997 is the most recent edition of the classic book in the field. National Research Council 1993 represents a comprehensive review of the field to the date of its publication. Finkelhor 2008 summarizes important trends in child maltreatment and directs attention to the multifaceted nature of child maltreatment. And Waldfogel 1998 brings research to bear on future directions in child protection.

• Dubowitz, Howard, and Diane DePanfilis, eds. Handbook for Child Protection Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2000.

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  In 124 chapters and 12 appendices, this handbook is organized around practical questions of child protection, addressing questions of how to work with maltreated children and their families as well as dealing with involved social, medical, and legal systems.

• Finkelhor, David. Childhood Victimization: Violence, Crime, and Abuse in the Lives of Young People. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.

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  Using the framework of “developmental victimology,” this book argues against focusing on specific forms of violence (e.g., physical or sexual abuse) and instead looks more broadly at multiple forms of child victimization across the different stages of childhood. Examines the interconnections among different forms of victimization and impacts on children.

• Helfer, Mary E., Ruth Kempe, and Richard Krugman, eds. The Battered Child. 5th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.

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  The most recent edition of the classic work and major resource on child maltreatment. Chapters in the book consider the types, causes, diagnosis, dynamics, prevention, treatment, and cultural issues in child abuse and neglect. Early editions are also recommended.

• Myers, John E. B., ed. The APSAC Handbook of Child Maltreatment. 3d ed. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2011.

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  The most recent edition of a comprehensive volume for both researchers and practitioners. Organized into the following sections: the child protection system; three forms of maltreatment (neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse); and issues in maltreatment investigations including interviewing children and legal issues.

• National Research Council. Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1993.

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  Written by a national panel of US experts and using an ecological developmental framework, this book is a major compendium of research on child maltreatment. Examines all aspects of child maltreatment including definitions, epidemiology, etiology, prevention, treatment, consequences, interventions, and ethics, concluding with priorities for future research.

• Reece, Robert, ed. Treatment of Child Abuse: Common Ground for Mental Health, Medical, and Legal Practitioners. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000.

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  Examines best standards for medical management, psychosocial treatment and long-term management of sexual and physical abuse, neglect, multiple forms of victimization, and Munchausen by Proxy syndrome. Considers legal disposition of cases and management of consequences of abuse for the developing child.

• Waldfogel, Jane. The Future of Child Protection: How to Break the Cycle of Abuse and Neglect. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998.

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  Examines child protection in the United States and Britain and suggests increased community partnerships, a narrowing of the definitions of cases that enter child protection, and differential response.

• Wilson, Kate, and Adrian James, eds. Child Protection Handbook: The Practitioner’s Guide to Safeguarding Children. 3d ed. London and Edinburgh: Elsevier, 2007.

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  The primary goal of this book is to bring current knowledge to practical applications. Organized into three sections: understanding the causes and dynamics of child maltreatment; managing various institutions and systems including schools, health care, and courts; and intervention and treatment approaches. All chapters include key points for practice.