Understanding Child Abuse And Neglect

The tragedy of child abuse and neglect is now, more than ever in the forefront of public attention. However without a conceptual framework, research in this particular area has been highly scrutinized. Understanding the many dimensions of this emotional crisis has suffered as a result. The information found here on Abuse Excuse is comprehensive, integrated, child oriented research plan for the nation. The author presents an overview of some major areas including definitions and scope, which refers to exploring the standardized classifications, analysis of incidence and prevalence trends; Etiology, consequences, treatment an prevention which analyzes relationships between cause and effect, reviewing prevention research with a unique systems approach, while looking at long and short term consequences of the abuse, and evaluating interventions; and Infrastructure and ethics, which includes a review of current research efforts, the ways to strengthen human resources and research tools and guidance on sensitive, ethical as well as legal issues.

Abuse Excuse is useful in understanding child abuse and neglect by reviewing involved research, social service agencies, child advocacy groups and researchers. In 1990, there were over 2 million cases of child abuse and neglect that were reported to social service agencies. In the period 1979 through 1988, approximately 2,000 child deaths (ages 0-17) were recorded per year as a result of abuse and neglect and an additional 160,000 cases resulted in serious injuries in 1990 alone. However tragic and sensational, understanding child abuse and neglect tragedy is difficult to do in extensive detail due to the counts of deaths and serious injuries which only provides limited insight into the long-term social, behavioral, and cognitive consequences of child abuse and neglect. Abuse Excuse has found that reports of child maltreatment alone also reveal little about the interactions among individuals, families, communities, and society that lead to such incidents that could potentially help us to understanding child abuse and neglect.

The American society has not yet been able to really begin to understand child abuse and neglect due to the complex origins or the profound consequences of child victimization. The services required for children who have been abused or neglected, including medical care, family counseling, foster care, and specialized education, are expensive and often have to be subsidized by governmental funds. The General Accounting Office has estimated that these services cost more than $500 million annually. Equally disturbing, Abuse Excuse research suggests that child abuse cases are highly related to social problems such as juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, and violence, which require additional services and severely affect the quality of life for many American families.