This title includes a number of Open Access chapters.




Research into the effects of child abuse has experienced an explosion over the last few decades, resulting in a far more wide-ranging understanding of this grave societal problem. This compendium volume collects some of the most recent research and organizes it within three categories: societal effects, effects on health (including mental health) behaviors, and epigenetic effects. Specific topics include the associations between childhood abuse and the following factors:

• Juvenile sexual offending



• Juvenile delinquency



• Adult aggression



• Cognitive development



• Adult smoking



• Sleep patterns



• Suicidal behaviors



• Psychopathology



• Epigenomic mechanisms

Edited by a Harvard developmental behavioral pediatrician, this important compendium offers state-of-the-art knowledge to professionals and graduate students in the helping fields. The articles collected here provide researchers with foundations for further investigations, while they give active professionals greater power in the fight against child abuse.