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Child Abuse

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence

  • 35 Accesses

Synonyms

Child emotional abuse, Child maltreatment, Child physical abuse, Child sexual abuse, Psychological maltreatment

Definitions

Child abuse is defined differently based on context; law enforcement agencies, professional bodies, academicians, policymakers, and child welfare bodies have specific definitions. Moreover, the clinical definition is distinct. Nevertheless, researchers exploring child abuse agree on a common definition.

In general, child abuse is defined as any act or sequence of actions of commission or omission by a parent, other caregivers, or a stranger that causes harm, the potential for damage, or the danger of harm to a child. Social workers might define child abuse based on its nature, i.e., psychological, physical harm, emotional mistreatment, sexual abuse, and negligence (Jouriles et al., 2008). The American Academic of Pediatrics defines child abuse to include injuries to several organ systems, injury to nonambulatory infants, several injuries during the...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Nor Ba’yah Abdul Kadir

Authors
  1. Nor Ba’yah Abdul Kadir
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Correspondence to Nor Ba’yah Abdul Kadir .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Gavin Vance

  3. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester Hills, MI, USA

    Madeleine K. Meehan

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Abdul Kadir, N.B. (2023). Child Abuse. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85493-5_223-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85493-5_223-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-85493-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-85493-5

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