ABSTRACT
Parental maltreatment is the physical, psychological, or sexual abuse or neglect of children. It represents an extreme departure from the biological function of caregiving and sits at the boundary of parenting at risk (Azar, 2002; Cicchetti and Toth, 2005; Rogosch, Cicchetti, Shields, and Toth, 1995). Maltreatment is highly prevalent in the United States. Recent reporting from the fourth National Incidence Study (NIS-4; Sedlak) conducted in 2005–2006 indicated that more than 1.25 million children (17.1 children victimized per 1,000 children) in the United States experienced maltreatment. Child maltreatment is also a global problem. A recent meta-analysis of 244 publications on the prevalence of maltreatment across the world reported that 7.6% of boys and 18% of girls experienced sexual abuse, 22.6% of children experienced physical abuse, 35.3% experienced emotional abuse, and 16% of children were physically neglected (Stoltenborgh, Bakermans-Kranenburg, Alink, and van IJzendoorn, 2015). Decades of research have documented the broad and enduring consequences of maltreatment for children across psychological, physiological, neurological, and interpersonal domains with effects lasting throughout the lifespan (Cicchetti, 2016; Cicchetti and Toth, 2015a). However, understanding the etiology of parental maltreatment remains a critical need within the empirical literature, and research is essential for informing the development of prevention and intervention efforts as well as public policy initiatives.
