Skip to main content

Child Abuse and Neglect

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Family Medicine

Abstract

Child maltreatment is a public health emergency that impacts the physical, emotional and cognitive development of affected children. The impact is not limited to childhood, as significant adverse events during childhood affect adult health with an increased burden of disease and risk of early death [1]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm or threat of harm to a child [2]. Maltreatment can be classified into abuse or neglect, and the majority are victims of neglect. However, at least 15% of reports contain two or more maltreatment types [3]. The economic burden of child maltreatment was estimated at $428 billion in 2015 [4].

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Felitti VJ, et al. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study. Am J Prev Med. 1998;14(4):245–58.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Leeb RT, Paulozzi LJ, Melanson C, Simon TR, Arias I. Child maltreatment surveillance: uniform definitions for public health and recommended data elements. Version 1.0. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  3. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. Child maltreatment 2018. 2020. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/research-data-technology/statistics-research/child-maltreatment. Accessed 20 Sept 2020.

  4. Peterson C, Florence C, Klevens J. The economic burden of child maltreatment in the United States, 2015. Child Abuse Negl. 2018;86:178–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Fortson B, Klevens J, Merrick M, Gilbert L, Alexander S. Preventing child abuse and neglect: a technical package for policy, norm, and programmatic activities. Atlanta: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Sedlak AJ, Mettenburg J, Basena M, et al. Fourth national incidence study of child abuse and neglect (NIS-4): report to congress, executive summary. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families; 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Development Services Group, Inc., & Child Welfare Information Gateway. Promoting protective factors for victims of child abuse and neglect: a guide for practitioners. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau; 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Raja S, et al. Trauma informed care in medicine: current knowledge and future research directions. Fam Commun Health. 2015;38(3):216–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Jenny C, Metz B. Medical child abuse and medical neglect. Pediatr Rev. 2020;41(2):49–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Child Welfare Information Gateway. What is child abuse and neglect? Recognizing the signs and symptoms. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau; 2019.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Carrasco M, Wolford J. Child abuse and neglect, chapter 6, Zitelli and Davis atlas of pediatric physical diagnosis. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier, Inc; 2018. p. 171–235.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Schwartz D. Failure to thrive: an old nemesis in the new millennium. Pediatr Rev. 2000;21(8):257–64.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hymel KP, Hall CA. Diagnosing pediatric head trauma. Pediatr Ann. 2005;34(5):358–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Kellogg ND. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on child abuse and neglect. Evaluation of suspected child physical abuse. Pediatrics. 2007;119(6):1232–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Botash AS. Child abuse evaluation and treatment for medical providers. Radiology: injuries associated with abuse. Syracuse: Suny Upstate Medical University; 2005–2020. http://childabusemd.com/radiology/injuries.shtml. Accessed 20 Sept 2020.

  16. Narang SK, Fingarson A, Lukefahr J. American Academy of Pediatrics Council on child abuse and neglect. Abusive head trauma in infants and children. Pediatrics. 2020;145(4):e20200203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Pereda N, Guilera G, Forns M, Gómez-Benito J. The prevalence of child sexual abuse in community and student samples: a meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev. 2009;29(4):328–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Finkelhor D, Shattuck A. Characteristics of crimes against juveniles. Durham: Crimes Against Children Research Center; 2012. http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/CV26_Revised%20Characteristics%20of%20Crimes%20against%20Juveniles_5-2-12.pdf. Accessed 20 Sept 2020.

    Google Scholar 

  19. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. 42 U.S.C. § 5106. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2017-title42/html/USCODE-2017-title42-chap67.htm. Accessed 20 Sept 2020.

  20. The Polaris Project. https://polarisproject.org/2019-us-national-human-trafficking-hotline-statistics/. Accessed 22 Nov 2020.

  21. The National Human Trafficking Hotline Data Report. 2019. https://humantraffickinghotline.org/sites/default/files/Polaris-2019-US-National-Human-Trafficking-Hotline-Data-Report.pdf. Accessed 22 Nov 2020.

  22. Federal Bureau of Investigations Missing Persons Database. https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/missing-persons. Accessed 7 Nov 2020.

  23. HEAL Trafficking Protocols Committee. https://healtrafficking.org/protocols-committee/. Accessed 22 Nov 2020.

  24. Kitzmann KM, Gaylord NK, Holt AR, Kenny ED. Child witnesses to domestic violence: a meta-analytic review. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2003;71(2):339–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth risk behavior surveillance – United States, 2019. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report–Surveillance Summaries 2020; 69(SS1).

    Google Scholar 

  26. Stephens M, Cook-Fasano H, Sibbaluca K. Childhood bullying: implications for physicians. Am Fam Physician. 2018;97(3):187–92.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Smith GL, McGuinness TM. Adolescent psychosocial assessment: the HEEADSSS. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2017;55(5):24–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Hamm MP, Newton AS, Chisholm A, et al. Prevalence and effect of cyberbullying on children and young people; a scoping review of social media studies. JAMA Pediatr. 2015;169(8):770–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Aboujaoude E, Savage MW, Starcevic V, Salame WO. Cyberbulling; review of an old problem gone viral. J Adolesc Health. 2015;57(1):10–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Hinduja S, Patchin J. Cyberbullying: top ten tips for health care providers. https://cyberbullying.org/Cyberbullying-Top-Ten-Tips-Health-Care-Providers.pdf. Accessed 22 Nov 2020.

  31. Dubowitz H, Lane WG. Chapter 16: abused and neglected children. In: RM Nelson textbook of pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier, Inc; 2020. p. 98–111.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Cleveland Clinic. Factitious disorder imposed on another. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9834-factitious-disorder-imposed-on-another-fdia. Accessed 22 Nov 2020.

  33. Christian CW. American Academy of Pediatrics, committee on child abuse and neglect. The evaluation of suspected child physical abuse. Pediatrics. 2015;135(5):e1337–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Flaherty EG, Jones R, Sege R. Child abuse recognition experience study research group. Telling their stories: primary care practitioners’ experience evaluating and reporting injuries caused by child abuse. Child Abuse Negl. 2004;28(9):939–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. American Academy of Family Physicians Policy Statement on Child Abuse. 2019. https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/child-abuse.html. Accessed 20 Sept 2020.

  36. Pecora PJ, Chahine Z, Graham JC. Safety and risk assessment frameworks: overview and implications for child maltreatment fatalities. Child Welfare. 2013;92(2):143–60.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Child Welfare Information Gateway. Mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau; 2019.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Curry SJ, et al. Interventions to prevent child maltreatment. US preventive services task force recommendation. JAMA. 2018;320(20):2122–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Suzanne Leonard Harrison .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Science+Business Media LLC

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Harrison, S.L., Norton, M.P. (2021). Child Abuse and Neglect. In: Paulman, P., Taylor, R.B., Paulman, A.A., Nasir, L.S. (eds) Family Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0779-3_165-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0779-3_165-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-0779-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0779-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

Publish with us

Policies and ethics