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Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade Workshop Summary (2012) / Chapter Skim
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2 Reflections on the 1993 NRC Report *Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect*
Pages 7-14

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From page 7...
...  Though the consequences of child maltreatment are better under stood today than they were two decades ago, the contextual factors that influence maltreatment need more study.  Child maltreatment research needs to move from the fringe to the mainstream, with increased funding and better use of research results to shape policy and practice.
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From page 8...
... , the incidence of child maltreatment declined 19 percent in the 12 years between NIS-3 and NIS-4. Most of the decline appears to be related to significant decreases in physical and 14000 12000 Number of Publications MEDICAL 10000 PSYCHOLOGICAL 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 1950- 1960- 1970- 1980- 1990- 2000 1959 1969 1979 1989 1999 2009 Decade FIGURE 1 Published articles on child abuse and neglect: 1950-2009.
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From page 9...
... Also, child maltreatment is sometimes bundled with other life adversities, which runs counter to a recommendation from the 1993 NRC report to clarify the common and divergent pathways in the etiologies of different forms of maltreatment. Reliable and valid clinical diagnostic research instruments for child maltreatment are essential needs, said Widom.
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From page 10...
... Furthermore, these contextual factors need to be studied in combination to understand both the causes and consequences of maltreatment. Researchers need to design studies to test and analyze theoretical models using more sophisticated statistical techniques.
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From page 11...
... TABLE 1 Outcomes Frequently Associated with Child Maltreatment Neurological/ Cognitive/ Social/ Psychological/ Medical Intellectual Behavioral Emotional  Brain damage  Lowered IQ   Aggression Anxiety  Neurobiologi-  Inattention   Truancy Depression  Learning   cal effects Running away Dysthymia  Mental   disorders Delinquency Low  Poor reading retardation  self-esteem Prostitution  Speech  Poor school   Poor coping Teenage defects performance skills pregnancy  Physical  School   Hostility Problem handicaps  drop-out drinking Suicide and  Physical  Attempts Drug use health   Posttraumatic Crime and problems stress disorder violence  Death   Dissociation Partner  Increased  violence Borderline health care  personality Child abuse use disorder  Unemploy  Antisocial ment personality disorder NOTE: This table shows outcomes often associated with child maltreatment, but the evidence linking child maltreatment to these outcomes varies in quality, quantity, and consistency. SOURCE: Widom, 2012.
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From page 12...
... SCIENCE POLICY FOR CHILD MALTREATMENT RESEARCH Finally, Widom addressed several issues involving science policy that were discussed in the 1993 NRC report. That report recommended that federal agencies concerned with child maltreatment research formulate a national research plan.
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From page 13...
... The interdisciplinary nature of child maltreatment research requires both specialized disciplinary expertise and opportunities for collaborative research. However, categorical funding for federal research programs creates significant barriers to collaborative or innovative efforts among researchers concerned with maltreatment.
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From page 14...
... Organizational changes need to improve the process by which child maltreatment research findings are converted into action. Progress in understanding child maltreatment has been slowed by many factors, including ethical and legal challenges, a lack of consensus in research definitions, and a lack of trained investigators.
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Key Terms

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  • maltreatment research
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  • child neglect
  • research definitions

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  • linking child
  • maltreatment included
  • maltreatment currently
  • maltreatment experience

  • maltreatment warrant
  • maltreatment declined
  • research requires
  • research plan
  • prevention research

  • integrate research
  • research literature
  • diagnostic research
  • treatment research
  • research instruments

  • research finally
  • issues involving
  • widom stated
  • report recommended
  • including ethical


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