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Predisposing Child Factors

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Book cover Children at Risk

Abstract

Since the original description of the Battered Child Syndrome by Kempe and his colleagues (Kempe, Silverman, Steele, Droegemueller, & Silver, 1962), there has been a tremendous growth in professional and media interest in child abuse and neglect. Evidence of expanded awareness is found in the plethora of specialty journals (e.g.,Journal of Family Violence, Child Abuse and Neglect) and books (MacFarlane, Waterman, Conerly, Damon, Durfee, & Long, 1986; Oates, 1982; Wolfe, 1987) devoted to this topic. This increased focus of attention is at least partly attributable to the dramatic rise in reported cases of child maltreatment in recent years. For example, there has been an 8% increase in reported cases of child abuse and neglect from 1985 to 1986 (American Association for Protecting Children, 1988). Although such an elevation in reports is partly related to greater professional awareness of child maltreatment, most experts agree that child abuse and neglect currently represent significant social problems (see Chapter 2 in this volume).

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  1. Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, USA

    Robert T. Ammerman

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  1. Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Robert T. Ammerman

  2. School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Michel Hersen

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Ammerman, R.T. (1990). Predisposing Child Factors. In: Ammerman, R.T., Hersen, M. (eds) Children at Risk. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2088-4_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2088-4_8

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