Child abuse and neglect, amental health perspective

Child maltreatment is one of the major public health issue and a worldwide concern. It is clearly evident that research on child maltreatment lived a scientific maturation during the last two decades. Nonetheless, as highlighted by the US National Institutes of Health, it still “lacks a level of sophistication necessary to address adequately the critical scientific and clinical issues . . . There have been only a handful of longitudinal studies on course and outcome of maltreatment in children” (The neglect of child neglect, Editorial Lancet, 2003). On one side, the time has come to address some fundamental questions relating to definitions, classifications, measurement, interpretation of abuse statistics, effective prevention and treatment interventions. On the other side, research in the field of psychological abuse and neglect has to be promoted. Psychological abuse and neglect seem to remain a low priority, with very few resources, initiatives and studies. As evidenced in a study by the International Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect (Behl et al, 2003), during the past 22 years, the percentage of articles examining child physical abuse declined, while the proportion of research published on sexual abuse rose. At the same time, the percentage of articles examining child neglect and emotional abuse remained consistently low. In this chapter we present advances in the field of child abuse and neglect, both in clinics and research. Central areas will be covered, including epidemiology of child abuse and neglect, definitions, impact of abuse, prevention and treatment. Similarly, controversial topics, unanswered questions and the need for further research will be highlighted.