Child Maltreatment Prevention: Essentials for the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.

Abstract

Child maltreatment is a serious problem with the potential for lifelong physical and mental health consequences, even death. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2021), an estimated 656,000 American children were investigated by child protective services (CPS) and determined to be victims of child maltreatment in 2019, and for 1,840 children, maltreatment resulted in death. Approximately 61% of maltreated children suffered neglect, 10% physical abuse, 7% sexual abuse, and 6.1% emotional abuse, with more than 15% experiencing multiple forms of maltreatment (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2021).