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The psychological aspects of child abuse

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The Maltreatment of Children

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Abstract

Kempe et al. 1 coined the term ‘the battered child syndrome’ and subsequently a good many articles began to appear in the literature. Because the term ‘battered’ refers essentially only to physical beating it is somewhat limited in accounting for maltreatment arising out of simple neglect. Therefore, a more inclusive and factually correct term has come into being and that is child abuse. For the purpose of this chapter on the psychological aspects of child abuse it still seems appropriate to employ the definition used by Kempe and Helfer2 for the battered child. The definition of child abuse employed herewith is ‘any child who received physical injury (or injuries) as a result of acts (or omissions) on the part of his parents or guardians’.

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Authors
  1. D. R. Henry
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Ottawa Hospital, Canada

    Selwyn M. Smith (Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Director) (Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Director)

  2. Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Canada

    Selwyn M. Smith (Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Director) (Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Director)

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© 1978 Selwyn M. Smith

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Henry, D.R. (1978). The psychological aspects of child abuse. In: Smith, S.M. (eds) The Maltreatment of Children. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6162-6_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6162-6_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-011-6164-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-6162-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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