The Future of Child Maltreatment Prevention

Abstract

In the United States there are an estimated 900 000 children per year who are victims of child maltreatment.1 The majority of them are victims of neglect. Over the past 3 decades, there has been considerable attention to better defining our understanding of the etiology of child maltreatment. Initial work focused on sociological and psychodynamic models of child maltreatment. These models laid the ground work for the current ecological model of child maltreatment.2 The ecological model endorses a complex set of forces that create an environment which places the child at greater risk for becoming a victim of maltreatment. Although historically “bad” or “sick” people abused children, current models view children as embedded in layers and layers of varying positive and negative spheres of influences. These influences change throughout different periods in the life of a child. Each of these forces can be either stressors (risks) or supports (protectors) of the child. The limited understanding of the complexity … Address correspondence to Christopher Spencer Greeley, MD, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Suite 1425, 6410 Fannin St, Houston, TX 77030. E-mail: christopher.s.greeley{at}uth.tmc.edu