Child Abuse and the Psychology of Religion

There is sometimes disagreement between health, mental health, and law enforcement professionals as to whether a specific incident can rightly be referred to as child abuse. Whether parental behavior is characterized as abuse is frequently influenced by factors such as the seriousness of any resulting injury, the age and developmental level of the child, and the frequency or chronicity of the act. Societal perceptions of what constitutes abuse, in contrast to discipline, may also vary across regions and time periods. Despite the variation that exists in the definitions of child abuse and neglect relied on by researchers and by government, social welfare, and law enforcement agencies, it is now recognized that the maltreatment of children in high-income countries, including the United States, constitutes a major social welfare and public health problem.

Child abuse is rarely explainable by one determinative factor. Rather, a multitude of circumstances likely contribute to parental...