The sequelae of child maltreatment

This review examines the evidence for a link between exposure to one or mor e types of child maltreatment and a range of impairments. Much of the liter ature continues to focus on the effects of child sexual abuse, but increasi ngly investigators are assessing multiple exposures and using longitudinal designs to control for confounding factors such as family dysfunction. The emphasis of this review is on reports published since 1 January 2000; howev er, findings arising from these studies are put into the context of key art icles that may have been published before this date. Progress has been made in assessing a broader scope of effects, including personality disorders, long-term physical impairment, medical utilization and neurobiological corr elates, Developing more rigorous approaches to the measurement of child mal treatment exposure continues to be essential to improving our understanding about sequelae and their underlying mechanisms. Curr Opin Psychiatry 14:32 5-331. (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.