Child Abuse and Maltreatment Overview

The immediate surroundings where child abuse occurs, including the family structure, the abuse itself, and characteristics of both the parent and the child.

Parents who abuse are more likely to have experienced abuse or neglect themselves.

Parents who are less satisfied with their children and find parenting less enjoyable and more difficult are more likely to abuse.

Social isolation is more common among neglecting parents, while social conflict is more prevalent in abusive parents.

Certain characteristics can increase a child's risk of being abused, including being premature, having a less attractive appearance to the parent, or having a physical or mental disability.

The environment surrounding the family, encompassing formal and informal structures like work, neighborhood, school, and social networks.

Poverty and low socioeconomic status are risk factors for child abuse.

A less supportive neighborhood with fewer resources and social isolation can increase the risk of child abuse.

The first comprehensive study on physical signs of sexual abuse in children, conducted in the 19th century.

A medical condition resulting from deliberate physical assault on a child, defined in the 1960s.

A theory that parents who abuse children have a clinically diagnosed mental health condition, like personality disorders.

The time period when child abuse gained full recognition as a social problem, driven by the work of Dr. Kempe and his colleagues.

A doctor who led the child protection movement in 19th-century Europe, focusing on poor working conditions for children.

A child psychiatrist who played a key role in recognizing the prevalence of abused children in the 1960's by using X-rays to identify physical signs of abuse.

A group of symptoms resulting from deliberate physical assault on a child, including broken bones, swelling, and other injuries.

Dr. C. Henry Kempe's research that highlighted the physical abuse of children and later extended to the recognition of sexual abuse in children, making a significant impact on the understanding of child abuse.

The early viewpoint that child sexual abuse perpetrators are mentally ill, like psychotic, brain-damaged, senile, or mentally retarded individuals.

The idea that battered-child syndrome, a term for the evidence of child abuse, directly links the perpetrator to a mental illness.

Research has shown that most child abusers do not have a diagnosable mental illness. Only a small percentage of those who abuse children have a psychopathological disorder.

While child abusers might not have severe mental illness, they frequently show elevated levels of cognitive distortions, depression, stress, low self-esteem, substance abuse, anger issues, parenting problems, and hyperactivity.

The theory that parents who can't meet their own needs or have excessive needs might struggle to meet their child's needs and might be more likely to abuse their children.

Sociological models of child abuse emphasize social factors like poverty, social status, isolation, and societal acceptance of violence as potential causes of child abuse and neglect.

Research exploring sociological variables has shown only indirect and weak support for child abuse explanations. While poverty increases the risk of abuse, it doesn't directly cause it.

Social learning theory explains how violence can be learned through observation and imitation. Children witnessing violence learn that aggression is an effective way to get what they want.

A secure attachment relationship offers a sense of safety and comfort, allowing the child to venture out and explore the world confidently.

The internalized representation of a child's relationship with their primary caregiver, affecting their expectations and behaviors in future relationships.

When a caregiver consistently responds to a child's needs, the child learns to regulate their own emotions and physiological arousal over time.

The emotional bond between a child and their primary caregiver, providing safety, comfort, and a foundation for healthy development.

The caregiver's consistent and sensitive responsiveness to the child's needs leads to the development of trust and security in the attachment relationship.

The process of learning to soothe one's own emotions and regulate physiological arousal through repeated experiences of being soothed by a caregiver.

The ability to explore the inner world of thoughts and feelings, as well as the minds of others, fostered by the security of a nurturing attachment.

The ability to seek solutions to problems, including asking for help, which is promoted by secure attachment and the confidence to explore the world.

This model emphasizes the back-and-forth relationship between the parent and child, and how their interactions shape both the cause and consequences of child abuse. This emphasizes the developmental outcomes for the child who has been abused.

This theory focuses on how the quality of the early relationship between a child and their caregiver impacts their development. Secure attachment, built on trust and responsiveness, provides a foundation for healthy emotional and social development.

Mothers who commit physical abuse often experience isolation and lack meaningful connections within their social networks.

Cultural norms and beliefs about physical punishment can influence how parents discipline their children. This can contribute to differing rates of child abuse across cultures.

Racism creates systemic stressors and limitations for families, which can increase the risk of child abuse. This can manifest through limited access to resources, education, and economic opportunities.

Attachment is a dynamic process formed through interactions between an infant and their caregiver. This relationship provides the foundation for emotional security, regulation, communication, and exploration.

A type of attachment where the child uses the caregiver as a safe base for exploration, showing distress upon separation but seeking comfort from the caregiver upon reunion.

A type of attachment where the child avoids the caregiver in their presence, showing minimal distress upon separation and ignoring the caregiver upon reunion.

A type of attachment where the child clings to the caregiver, showing extreme distress upon separation but ambivalent behavior upon reunion, seeking contact but also resisting it.

A type of attachment where the child shows inconsistent and unpredictable behavior towards the caregiver, often exhibiting fear or confusion, displaying both avoidance and seeking behavior.

A research method used to assess attachment styles in children, involving a series of separations and reunions between the child and primary caregiver in a laboratory setting.

A theory that explains the importance of early childhood attachments to the development of emotional and social well-being.

A set of behaviors that a child uses to cope with distress when separated from their primary caregiver.