The sequelae of child maltreatment

Abstract

This review examines the evidence for a link between exposure to one or more types of child maltreatment and a range of impairments. Much of the literature continues to focus on the effects of child sexual abuse, but increasingly investigators are assessing multiple exposures and using longitudinal designs to control for confounding factors such as family dysfunction. The emphasis of this review is on reports published since 1 January 2000; however, findings arising from these studies are put into the context of key articles that may have been published before this date. Progress has been made in assessing a broader scope of effects, including personality disorders, long-term physical impairment, medical utilization and neurobiological correlates. Developing more rigorous approaches to the measurement of child maltreatment exposure continues to be essential to improving our understanding about sequelae and their underlying mechanisms.