Child Abuse and Neglect

Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and various forms of neglect of children are associated with substantially increased risk for concurrent and subsequent psychopathology and are among the common problems encountered by clinicians in many clinical settings. Such cases pose additional challenges for clinicians because of the many complex family and system forces that engulf these children and their families. Assessing maltreated children generally requires more time than evaluations of children who have not experienced maltreatment. Young children, who experience the highest rates of maltreatment, present especially complex assessments because they are so dependent upon their caregiving environments. Treatment of psychopathology associated with maltreatment, which is often multimodal, requires addressing a variety of external factors that may perpetuate or exacerbate symptoms and impaired functioning. We suggest that the more clinicians understand the different cultures of the legal and child protective services systems will help them advocate more effectively for maltreated children's bests interests so that the complexity of their problems is matched by the comprehensiveness of our efforts to minimize their suffering, enhance their development, and promote their competence.