ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted to the physical abuse of children. When someone hears the term child abuse, what most often comes to mind is a picture of a child who has been physically abused. This makes sense because child physical abuse was the first type of child maltreatment to be identified by professionals, and it leaves the most visible marks on its victims. The chapter begins with a lengthy discussion of how to define physical abuse considering definitions used by government agencies and those provided by state laws. The chapter then covers statistics related to the prevalence and incidence of physical abuse in the United States. A brief section is then devoted to the difference between corporal punishment and physical abuse. The largest section of the chapter is devoted to the consequences that are associated with physical abuse, including both physical (e.g., bruises, fractures, head injuries, burns, and death) and psychological (intellectual/academic problems, changes in cognitive processing, issues with interpersonal relationships, aggression, substance abuse, internalizing symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)) effects. Cross-cultural issues related to folk remedies and gendered practices that are considered physically abusive are also addressed.
