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 Year
The Association Between Childhood Maltreatment and Gambling Problems in a Community Sample of Adult Men and Women

Hodgins, David C.
Schopflocher, Don P.
el-Guebaly, Nady
Casey, David M. 
Smith, Garry J. 
Williams, Robert J.
Wood, Robert T.

2010
The association between childhood physical abuse and heart disease in adulthood: Findings from a representative community sample

Fuller-Thomson, Esme
Brennenstuhl, Sarah
Frank, John

2010
Assessing the effectiveness of the NICHD investigative interview protocol when interviewing French-speaking alleged victims of child sexual abuse in Quebec

Cyr, Mireille
Lamb, Michael E.

2009
Child Maltreatment, Bullying, Gender-Based Harassment, and Adolescent Dating Violence: Making the Connections

Wolfe, David
Crooks, Claire C.
Chiodo, Debbie
Jaffe, Peter

2009
Child sexual abuse and adult romantic adjustment: comparison of single- and multiple-indicator measures

Godbout, Natacha
Sabourin, Stéphane
Lussier, Yvan

2009
Childhood trauma and injection drug use among high-risk youth

Kerr, Thomas
Stoltz, Jo-Anne
Marshall, Brandon
Lai, Calvin
Strathdee, Steffanie A.
Wood, Evan

2009
Cortisol response to stress in female youths exposed to childhood maltreatment: Results of the youth mood project

MacMillan, Harriet
Georgiades, Katholiki
Duku, Eric K.
Shea, Alison
Steiner, Meir
Niec, Anne
Tanaka, Masako
Gensey, Susan
Spree, Sandra
Vella, Emily
Walsh, Christine A.
De Bellis, Michael D.
Van der Meulen, John
Boyle, Michael H.
Schmidt, Louis A.

2009
Differentiating between substantiated, suspected, and unsubstantiated maltreatment in Canada

Trocmé, Nico
Knoke, Della
Fallon, Barbara
MacLaurin, Bruce

2009
Differentiating between substantiated, suspected, and unsubstantiated maltreatment in Canada

Trocmé, Nico
Knoke, Della
Fallon, Barbara
MacLaurin, Bruce

2009
Early childhood home visiting programs

Knoke, Della

2009