This volume was prepared under the impetus of desperate need in academic institutions and clinical and social services for a comprehensive introduction to the diverse theories about child abuse and neglect etiologies. Although history documents maltreatment of children since the beginning of human civilization, formal recognition of the problem has been relatively recent. During the past three decades, professionals in various fields, especially medicine, psychiatry, social work, law, sociology, and psychology, have been involved in the identification, treatment, and prevention of child...