child abuse & neglect

Child abuse and neglect include acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that result in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child.  The five primary forms of maltreatment are physical abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, emotional maltreatment and exposure to domestic violence.

For a document that outlines definitions of frequently used terms in child abuse and neglect research, see the page with the glossary of social work and child maltreatment related terms.

You can get more information on the signs of child maltreatment from the Family Violence Initiative, operated by the Department of Justice of Canada. You can also contact Kid’s Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 for further information.

If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, or are looking for information about services for children or families experiencing difficulties you can contact your local child welfare authority. Click here to find the local child authority agency in your province or territory. Please visit our FAQs section to learn more about child abuse and neglect.

Filter by Publication Date Range
Title Authors Sort descending Year
Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse or Neglect 1993 (OIS-1993) 1998
The Influence of Child Abuse on the Pattern of Expenditures in Women's Adult Health Service Utilization in Ontario, Canada 2006
Derivation of probable child maltreatment indicators using prospectively recorded information between 5 months and 17 years in a longitudinal cohort of Canadian children 2023
Individual- and relationship-level factors related to better mental health outcomes following child abuse: Results from a nationally representative Canadian sample
Afifi, Tracie O.
MacMilan, Harriet L. 
Taillieu, Tamara
Turner, Sarah
Cheung, Kristine
Sareen, Jitender 
Boyle, Michael H. 
2016
Child abuse and physical health in adulthood
Afifi, Tracie O.
MacMillan, Harriet L. 
Boyle, Michael
Cheung, Kristene
Taillieu, Tamara
Turner, Sarah
Sareen, Jitender
2016
Factors predicting central details in alleged child sexual abuse victims’ disclosure
Alonzo-Proulx, Agnès
Cyr, Mireille
2016
Characteristics of sexually abused children and their nonoffending mothers followed by child welfare services: The role of a maternal history of child sexual abuse
Baril, Karine
Tourigny, Marc
Paillé, Pierre
Pauzé, Robert
2016
Child maltreatment and intimate partner violence among Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians
Brownridge, Douglas A. 
Taillieu, Tamara
Afifi, Tracie
Chan, Ko Ling
Emery, Clifton
Lavoie, Josee
Elgar, Frank
2016
Prevalence and risk factors of child neglect in the general population
Clément, Marie-Ève
Bérubé, Annie
Chamberland, Claire
2016
The impact of lifetime victimization and polyvictimization on adolescents in Quebec: Mental health symptoms and gender differences
Cyr, Katie
Chamberland, Claire
Clément, Marie-Ève 
Wemmers, Jo-Anne
Collin-Vézina, Delphine
Lessard, Geneviève
Gagné, Marie-Hélène
Damant, Dominique
2016