Background: Infants, children, and youth in foster care have frequently experienced prenatal substance exposure (PSE), neglect, and maltreatment as well as disruptions in their relationships with families. They also have great capacity for overcoming early adversities. In this synthesis of two previously conducted scoping reviews, we aimed to…

Today, levels of mistreatment of children are internationally reported as having reached epidemic proportions. Throughout recorded history babies and young children have suffered acts of violence by parents, care providers and others. However, "some believe that, for the first time in history, we are beginning to face the true prevalence and…

Developmental psychology and psychopathology has in the past been more concerned with the quality of self-representation than with the development of the subjective agency which underpins our experience of feeling, thought and action, a key function of mentalisation. This review begins by contrasting a Cartesian view of pre-wired introspective…

The meaning of ordinary distress signals is, in instances of child abuse and neglect, determined by an unconscious mythology which the parent has about the infant, and also by what the parent finds unacceptable in oneself and project onto the infant. The recent research on mother-infant attachment is reviewed. (Author/DB)

Child-battering parents are described in the literature as having three primary behavioral characteristics: a general difficulty with the control of aggression; an aversive, unsympathetic response to distress in others; and self-isolating tendencies. Recent studies of young abused children are reviewed which show the development of similar…

Reviews the literature on attachment and child maltreatment in relation to the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment. Review of 13 studies suggests that a poor mother-infant relationship is the primary process by which maltreatment continues from one generation to the next. (Author/DB)

Reviews a variety of folk remedies such as coining (Southeast Asia), cupping (primarily Russia), and moxibustion (Asia), which may be confused with child abuse. It especially considers the Hispanic folk illness "caida de mollera" (fallen fontanelle) but rejects the idea in the literature that folk treatment can cause the injuries seen in…

This research review examines the link between etiology of child maltreatment and developmental outcomes. The review points to a strong association between child maltreatment and attachment insecurity in infant-parent relations, as well as child maltreatment and dysfunctional child-peer relations during toddlerhood. (Author/JDD)

Considers it inappropriate to focus on discrete symptomatology to infer presence of nascent or incipient infant psychopathology. Asserts that disorders in infancy are best conceptualized as relational psychopathologies, that is, as consequences of dysfunction in parent-child-environment system. Uses research in child maltreatment to illustrate the…

Discusses the history, epidemiology, biomechanics, diagnosis, treatment, outcomes, long-term management, and prevention of shaken baby syndrome. It presents medical-legal issues as well as a discussion of programs aimed at prevention of physical abuse. (Author/DB)

This fact sheet uses a question-and-answer format to summarize what is known about shaken baby syndrome, brain damage resulting from forceful shaking of an infant or young child. Questions and answers address the following topics: what shaken baby syndrome is and other names for the condition; the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome; the incidence…

This study, which uses the organizational perspective, synthesizes major contributions to the examination of symbolic development in abused children. Focuses on the interrelationship between and the impact of maltreatment on children's cognitive, socioemotional, and linguistic development. (RWB)

This article reviews data on problems in communicative development of maltreated children and discusses their implications for practitioners concerned with communicative development. The influence of social class and cultural factors is examined, and the impact of child maltreatment on communicative development from infancy up to school age is…

The paper discusses issues of concern to early childhood special educators serving on hospital ethics committees to assist families with seriously ill and handicapped infants in neonatal intensive care units. Issues include infant euthanasia and the right to life, child abuse legislation, and possible effects on families. (Author/JDD)