Abstract
This chapter discusses the wide variability in conceptualizations and definitions of child abuse over time and cross-culturally. Commonly recognized forms of child abuse are physical and sexual; psychological and emotional abuse are less recognized, with variability in the relatedness of these types. Examinations of child abuse and maltreatment more broadly show that survivors may be more likely to experience adverse perinatal outcomes. However, a key limitation of the research is a failure to examine differential associations and a focus on child sexual abuse. Given the distinct characteristics of abuse types, understanding their potential differential impact on perinatal women is important for providing evidence-based care. The assessment of abuse also differs, with child abuse not always a single event but rather an ongoing pattern of victimization. Multitype maltreatment recognizes this and also the interconnectedness of maltreatment experiences. The adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) approach is commonly used, recognizing a range of adversity (abuse and dysfunction); however, it is criticized as a simplistic representation of adverse experiences, particularly given the equivalent risk it assumes for each experience. For pregnant/postpartum women, research into the abuse subtypes provides a more detailed understanding of the challenges and opportunities in perinatal care. Given the prevalence of abuse worldwide, the likelihood that an expectant mother will be a child abuse survivor is high. Child abuse can have serious and wide-ranging implications for perinatal women; therefore, understanding their needs is essential to working toward optimal outcomes for both mother and child.
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Notes
- 1.
Social problems are situations recognized by some of the population, whereas a public issue is one recognized by a broad section of society. Not all social issues become public issues (Finkelhor, 1979).
- 2.
Based on information from 75 countries, of which 52 (or 69%) were considered developing countries.
- 3.
Countries with low and lower-middle incomes were classified as developing; countries with upper-middle and high incomes were classified as developed.
- 4.
The title ‘The Psychologically Battered Child’ is an acknowledgment of Kempe’s initial work in identifying abused children (Garbarino, 2013).
- 5.
We make the observation that most studies in reporting prevalence are actually reporting incidence or occurrence. The term incidence or occurrence refers to cases of abuse that occurred within a specified period, and prevalence refers to the percentage of children victimized by such an experience, and this could be once or many times (Russell, 1984).
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Brunton, R. (2023). Child Abuse: Definitions, Prevalence, and Considerations in Assessment. In: Brunton, R., Dryer, R. (eds) Perinatal Care and Considerations for Survivors of Child Abuse. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33639-3_2
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