The term abuse is used in psychiatric–mental health nursing to describe behaviors in which an individual misuses, attacks, or injures another individual. Abuse may be sexual, physical, or emotional. Neglect is also a form of abuse. The term violence is used to describe behaviors in which an individual displays an intensive destructive or uncontrolled force to injure a person (Sadock & Sadock, 2003; Shahrokh & Hales, 2003). Examples of abuse and violence were cited in the introduction to this chapter.

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), enacted in 1974, and reauthorized in 1996, provides federal funding to states to prevent, identify, and treat the abuse and neglect of children and adolescents. Child abuse, also referred to as maltreatment, is described as any recent act or failure to act, resulting in imminent risk of serious physical harm or death, emotional harm, sexual abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child under the age of 18 years by a parent, caretaker, or other person (CAPTA, 2003). Bullying is the most common form of abuse children and adolescents experience. It is estimated that 160,000 students in American schools are absent every day because of fear of being bullied either physically or verbally (Voors, 2004). Child abuse is not to be confused with discipline. Discipline is a purposeful action to restrain or correct a child’s behavior. It is done to teach, not to punish, and it is not designed to hurt the child or result in injury. Neglect is an act of omission and refers to a parent’s or other person’s failure to meet a dependent’s basic needs such as proper food, clothing, shelter, medical care, schooling, or attention; provide safe living conditions; provide physical or emotional care; or provide supervision, thus leaving the child unattended or abandoning him or her.

Children are also victims of intimate partner or family violence (eg, one parent kills the other), school violence (eg, a child brings a gun to school and kills a teacher), or public violence (eg, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001).

The World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) estimates that 40 million children younger than 15 years fall victim to various forms of child abuse and violence each year. The WHO subcategorizes child abuse into physical abuse, physical neglect or abandonment, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse including commercial or other forms of exploitation that cause actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development, or dignity (WHO/AFRO, 2002).

According to the NCIPC, an estimated 906,000 children in the United States experienced or were at risk for child abuse or violence in the year 2002, compared with 879,000 children in the year 2000. Of the 906,000 children:

Statistics provided by the NCIPC confirm that 1,500 children died from maltreatment: 36% from neglect, 28% from physical abuse, and 29% from multiple maltreatment types. In 2003, children younger than 4 years accounted for 79% of child maltreatment fatalities.

Domestic violence, also referred to at times as intimate partner violence or family violence, is a public health problem of epidemic proportions that crosses racial/ethnic boundaries and socioeconomic strata. It is designed to manipulate, control, and dominate the partner to achieve compliance and dependence. Domestic violence may include repeated battering and injury, psychological abuse, sexual assault, progressive social isolation, stalking, deprivation, and intimidation. Someone (ie, spouse, ex-spouse, or significant other) who is or was involved in an intimate relationship with the victim perpetrates these behaviors.