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Child Abuse and Neglect

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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences

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Synonyms

Child abuse; Child maltreatment; Child neglect; Emotional abuse; Neglect; Physical abuse; Sexual abuse

Definition

Child abuse and neglect, subsumed under the broader term child maltreatment, has serious and adverse consequences for the victim, perpetrator, their family, and society at large (Mash and Barkley 2014). The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act defines child abuse and neglect as “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm” (National Child Abuse and Neglect Training and Publications Project 2014; The Child Abuse and Prevention and Treatment Act Reauthorization Act 2010). The World Health Organization (WHO) describes child abuse and neglect in a similar manner, but they expand upon this definition by highlighting the negative outcomes that may accompany maltreatment such...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA

    Kimberly Barajas & Stephanie Smith

Authors
  1. Kimberly Barajas
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  2. Stephanie Smith
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Correspondence to Kimberly Barajas .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA

    Bradley A. Green

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Barajas, K., Smith, S. (2020). Child Abuse and Neglect. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_885

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