Psychology 2042A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Child Neglect, Child Abuse, Psychological Abuse

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2042A/B
• Professor: Scott Wier

Document Summary

Child maltreatment is a generic term that refers to four primary acts: physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. Maltreatment can take many forms, including acts experienced by the majority of children, such as corporal punishment, sibling violence, and peer assault, as well as acts experienced by a significant minority, such as physical abuse. It cuts across all lines of gender, national origin, language, religion, age, ethnicity, disability, and sexual orientation. Non-accidental trauma refers to the wide-ranging effects of maltreatment on the child"s ongoing physical and emotional development. Victimization, which is defined as the abuse or mistreatment of someone whose ability to protect him-or-herself is limited. Children from abusive and neglectful families grow up in environments that fail to provide consistent and appropriate opportunities to guide their development; instead these children are placed in jeopardy of physical and emotional harm. Child victims may feel torn between a sense of belonging and a sense of fear and apprehension.