Etiological Factors and Long Term Consequences of Child Abuse*

Summary: This is a difficult area for statistics because (a) the extent of the problem is always shrouded. Only the worst cases come before the courts; some are known by the authorities, some by neighbours and acquaintances, some only by the victim and the aggressor; (b) the line between legitimate punishment and abuse varies in different countries and at different periods, and can be difficult to draw with any certainty. Abusing parents may be drawn from very different social classes and milieux, but certain facts emerge fairly clearly: (i) Some parents would always be abusive, some never and some resort to abuse when social and other conditions (including the character of the child itself) become too difficult. (ii) Most abusive parents have themselves suffered from bad upbringing: either they were abused themselves, subjecte