Traditionally defined, Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, include experiences of child maltreatment and other family problems such as domestic violence and parental incarceration. These ACEs are common, frequently co-occur, and are associated with a whole host of negative social outcomes, health risk behaviors, psychiatric and substance use…

This article reviews the meaning and origins of child maltreatment in relation to children with disabilities. The heightened risk of abuse that is faced by such children arises from dynamics within the familial and community context of the child. (Author/DB)

The special issue features 11 articles on the topic of child sexual abuse. Aspects of family dynamics, social services intervention, and school programs are discussed. (CL)

The study of 154 cases of intrafamilial sexual abuse found that a third of the offenders and about half of the mothers had experienced or been exposed to sexual abuse as children. Offenders are analyzed in terms of being the biological father in an intact family, stepfather/mother's live-in partner, or noncustodial father. (DB)

This retrospective cohort study assessed the relationship of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) to other categories of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as childhood abuse, neglect, and parental separation/divorce. Adults reporting CSA experienced a 1.6- to 3.4-fold greater likelihood of experience each category of ACE. The ACE score was also…

Over a 10-year period, 96 children (age 0-14) were victims of homicide in Sweden, an average annual rate of 0.6 per 100,000 children. Most homicides were intrafamilial in nature. Cases of child abuse by a parent and cases of sexual abuse among the homicide victims were infrequent. (Author/JDD)

A survey examined the perceptions of 169 adults with low vision about their personal experiences with abuse, violence, or both. A relatively small number of respondents (56 of 35 percent) reported experiencing harm or physical abuse, but many experienced emotional abuse, and some witnessed violence in their families. (Contains extensive…

A survey of 1,142 elementary school students in Seoul (Korea) found that 8 percent were seriously battered, 58 percent were mildly battered, and 34 percent were unbattered in a 1-year period. Child battering was more serious in families in lower social strata, with poor living conditions, in broken families, and where parents were unskilled or…

Nine questions about child abuse and neglect are answered in the booklet which is available in English and Spanish. Among facts revealed are the following: there are about 1 million cases of abuse yearly; there are four types of abuse and neglect (physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse); abuse can be recognized by certain…

To explore the correlation between unemployment and child abuse rates, a literature review was conducted and the phenomenon was examined in a rural Inland Northwest county (X County) of 9,800 population which derived its main income from lumber and agriculture. Monthly substantiated child abuse cases were tallied from the Department of Health and…

Fifty-two parents of adopted children with histories of abuse or neglect were interviewed. Parents of children with histories of physical and sexual abuse reported lower family functioning than parents of children with histories of neglect. Also, parents who adopted sibling groups reported fewer child externalizing behavior problems but lower…

This pilot study investigated the prevalence of physical and sexual abuse, and current levels of psychological distress correlated with a history of abuse, in 102 Vietnamese Amerasian adults bound for the United States. A history of abuse was reported by 22% of males and 18% of females. Significant psychological distress was reported by abused…

This study examined the prevalence and clinical correlates of sexually inappropriate behaviors in 499 youth treated at a public psychiatric hospital over a 5-year period. Those with histories of sexually inappropriate behaviors had higher rates of being sexually abused or physically abused/neglected and more frequently had behavior disorders,…

This article examines child abuse and neglect in terms of the potential proportional threat to children with disabilities. Characteristic traits of abusers and victims, environmental and sociocultural factors, and the history of maltreatment of the disabled are discussed. Recommendations for practitioners and a list of child abuse organizations…

A study interviewed 8,548 participants in the Ontario Mental Health Supplement about parental psychiatric history and childhood physical and sexual abuse. Respondents reporting a parental history of depression, mania, or schizophrenia had a two to threefold increase in the rates of physical, sexual, or any abuse. (Contains references.) (CR)