Each year, child protective services receive reports of child abuse and neglect involving six million children, and many more go unreported. The long-term human and fiscal consequences of child abuse and neglect are not relegated to the victims themselves-they also impact their families, future relationships, and society. In 1993, the National Research Council (NRC) issued the report, Under-standing Child Abuse and Neglect, which provided an overview of the research on child abuse and neglect. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research updates the 1993 report and provides new recommendations to respond to this public health challenge. According to this report, while there has been great progress in child abuse and neglect research, a coordinated, national research infrastructure with high-level federal support needs to be established and implemented immediately. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research recommends an actionable framework to guide and support future child abuse and neglect research. This report calls for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to child abuse and neglect research that examines factors related to both children and adults across physical, mental, and behavioral health domains-including those in child welfare, economic support, criminal justice, education, and health care systems-and assesses the needs of a variety of subpopulations. It should also clarify the causal pathways related to child abuse and neglect and, more importantly, assess efforts to interrupt these pathways. New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research identifies four areas to look to in developing a coordinated research enterprise: a national strategic plan, a national surveillance system, a new generation of researchers, and changes in the federal and state programmatic and policy response.

This timely volume shows how abuse impacts every segment of society—and how society is seeking effective ways to respond. Abuse, a key theme of health education curricula, is also a major issue faced by many segments of society. Intended for high school students as well as undergraduates and the general reader, this comprehensive encyclopedia explores abuse in all its forms—physical, sexual, emotional, and verbal—among a variety of age and demographic groups from children to the elderly to the disabled. It sheds light on causes and symptoms of abuse, examines lasting impacts, and suggests avenues for prevention and treatment. Specific topics of concern to a secondary school audience include bullying and cyberbullying; abuse of those in same-sex relationships; and sexual abuse through rape, date rape, incest, and sexting. Elder abuse, which has become of greater concern as our society ages, is covered, as are domestic abuse, child abuse, and abduction. Through up-to-date entries by expert contributors, readers will learn about the causes and results of specific types of abuse, as well as their legal and sociological dimensions. The title will also serve as a gateway to further study—and as a resource for readers seeking help.