ABSTRACT
Child maltreatment is the commission or omission of acts that result in non-accidental physical injury, including death, emotional harm, or sexual exploitation. This chapter explores the lifelong consequences of childhood physical and emotional abuse and/or neglect and other adverse events on physical and psychological well-being. Research has identified strong associations between childhood adversity, abuse and neglect, and impairment in neuroendocrine, neuropsychological, and psychological functioning. Child abuse rates in New Zealand are the highest among the 41 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, with rates for domestic and sexual violence ranked worst. Police recorded 10,136 abuse, neglect, and abandonment offences perpetrated against children <16 years in the United Kingdom in 2014–2015. Thirty-one percent of men reported having been physically abused as children, compared with 21 percent of women. Six percent of men and 14 percent of women reported the experience of sexual abuse as children. The youngest children were the most vulnerable to maltreatment.
