Child Maltreatment: Theory and Research on the Causes and Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect

This important new volume provides a comprehensive account of the causes and consequences of child maltreatment from a developmental perspective. Over forty contributors, including some of the most highly regarded developmental researchers in the field, present the most recent findings on the impact of abuse and neglect on child development. Such definitional issues as what constitutes physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and how these conceptualizations have changed over the years, are addressed. Specific chapters examine the effect of maltreatment on cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional development in children. Issues such as early attachment to parents, sexual relationships, and intellectual and language development are examined in children who have experienced various forms of abuse. Special attention is directed to the psychology of abusive parents and to why a parent engages in abusive behavior. The volume will appeal to both researchers and clinicians in a range of disciplines including developmental and clinical psychology, psychiatry, social work, pediatrics, sociology, and law.