An Introduction to Maltreatment of Institutionalized Children

This chapter serves as an introduction to the concept of maltreatment of children and provides a very brief overview of published research that has been pivotal in the development of defining and describing this concept. First, we provide an understanding of how maltreatment has been defined historically and how definitions have changed over time, leading to current definitions used by researchers and child welfare organizations. Maltreatment is also described within the context of trauma and sociocultural issues that are associated with it. We also provide a brief review of the consequences of various types of childhood maltreatment on biological, psychological, academic, and social functi…