Child Abuse Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Child Abuse, including details on family violence, examinations, long-term effects, psychiatrics disorders.

Physical abuse and neglect of children.

Dubowitz H, Bennett S

Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. hdubowitz@peds.umaryland.edu

Child maltreatment includes physical abuse and neglect, and happens in all countries and cultures. Child maltreatment usually results from interactions between several risk factors (such as parental depression, stress, and social isolation). Physicians can incorporate methods to screen for risk factors into their usual appointments with the family. Detection of physical abuse is dependent on the doctor's ability to recognise suspicious injuries, such as bruising, bite marks, burns, bone fractures, or trauma to the head or abdomen. Neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment in the USA. It can be caused by insufficient parental knowledge; intentional negligence is rare. Suspected cases of child abuse should be well documented and reported to the appropriate public agency which should assess the situation and help to protect the child.

Published 4 June 2007 in Lancet, 369(9576): 1891-9.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Child Abuse Research Today. All Rights Reserved.