physical abuse is a widespread problem in the United States and its incidence appears to be increasing according to figures from the Third National Incidence Study of child abuse and Neglect, or NIS-3 (Sedlak & Broadhurst, 1996).
The NIS-3 is the most recent of a series of congressionally mandated studies on the current incidence of child abuse and neglect in the United States. It is based on data collected in 1993 and compiles statistics for child maltreatment using both harm and an endangerment standard. The NIS-3 revealed that physical abuse as defined under its endangerment standard nearly doubled between 1986 and 1993, with the number of children being affected increasing from 311,500 to 614,100. Under its harm standard, the number of physically abused children increased during this period by 42%. Even under this more restrictive standard, the number of children who were physically abused during 1993 totaled 381,700. This corresponds to an annual incidence rate of roughly 5 out of every 1,000 children. It has been suggested that the increase in incidence rates is a reflection of an actual increase in the rate of physical abuse as well as a result of increased awareness among professionals of the signs and indications of physical abuse, leading to a greater likelihood that abuse will be identified and reported. In the majority of cases of physical abuse, a birth parent is found to be the perpetrator. Overall, physical abuse constitutes 22% of all child maltreatment in the United States.
The Dissertation on An Overview of Child Physical Abuse
... mother-child dyad at risk for physical abuse, evidenced by a reduction of child behavior problems and maternal distress and an increase in ... may not meet full criteria for the current standards of substantiation of physical abuse. • Empirically rigorous research is needed to ... child abuse research and treatment (pp. 291-318). New York: Plenum. Root, M. P., & Fallon, P. (1988). The incidences ...
