Child Abuse and Neglect

Table of Contents

1. Child Abuse and Neglect
2. What is Child Abuse and Neglect?
3. Physical Abuse
4. Sexual Abuse
5. Child Neglect
6. When you suspect abuse or neglect
7. Domestic Violence and Children
8. Preventing Child Abuse
9. References

What is Child Abuse and Neglect?

One medical definition of child abuse is the physical, emotional, or sexual mistreatment of a child, as a result of direct injury. Failure to provide for a child's basic physical, emotional, or medical needs is the definition of child neglect.

Child maltreatment potentially or actually affects a child's health or development in a number of ways:

• Direct effects of injury
• Effects of nutritional or emotional deprivation during critical developmental stages
• Adverse effects of extreme or persistent stress on brain and (possibly) immunologic development.

Abused and neglected children are at high risk for a number of health problems in adulthood, such as alcoholism, depression, drug abuse, eating disorders, obesity, sexual promiscuity, smoking, suicide, and certain chronic diseases.