Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect

This volume provides a comprehensive, child-centered framework for understanding and researching child abuse and neglect. Addressing the fragmented nature of prior studies, it presents an integrated approach to defining the scope of the problem, analyzing causes and consequences, evaluating prevention and treatment strategies, and strengthening the infrastructure for ethical, effective research. The work is designed to guide researchers, social service agencies, and advocacy organizations in developing evidence-based responses to this pressing social issue.

Key Features:

• Offers a standardized framework for defining and classifying child abuse and neglect.
• Reviews incidence and prevalence trends to provide a clear understanding of the problem’s scope.
• Explores etiology, short- and long-term consequences, and evidence-based prevention and treatment approaches.
• Presents a systems-oriented approach to analyzing interventions and outcomes.
• Addresses research infrastructure, human resources, methodological tools, and ethical considerations.
• Serves as a practical resource for researchers, social service agencies, child advocacy groups, and policy makers.
• Emphasizes integrated, child-focused perspectives to inform future research and practice.