Page ii

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

This report was undertaken with the sponsorship of the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

National Research Council (U.S.). Panel on Research on Child Abuse and Neglect.
Understanding child abuse and neglect / Panel on Research on Child Abuse and Neglect, Commission on
Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-309-04889-3
1. Child abuse—United States—Prevention. 2. Abused children—United States—Psychology. I. Title.
HV6626.52.N38 1993
362.76'0973—dc20
93-29640
CIP

Cover: Photograph by Eric Futran, copyright 1993.

Printed in the United States of America

Copyright 1993 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

First Printing, October 1993
Second Printing, November 1994
Third Printing, April 1996