Impact of Child Abuse & Neglect

Learn how child abuse and neglect affect children, adolescents, adult survivors, and society. This section examines the impact of abuse and neglect on child development, as well as long-term consequences for adults with a history of abuse. Impact is explored by type of abuse, family factors, and the social and economic consequences.

• Impact by type of maltreatment
• Impact on child development
• Long-term consequences of abuse and neglect
• Social and economic consequences of abuse and neglect

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Defines ACEs and presents various resources including research findings from a 10-year scientific study analyzing the relationship between multiple categories of childhood trauma and health and behavioral outcomes later in life.

The Childhood Violent Trauma Center
Provides resources and a bibliographic database of information on the effects of violence exposure on children. The center also provides training and technical assistance to a variety of collaborative community programs that respond to children and families exposed to violence.

The Effects of Childhood Stress on Health Across the Lifespan (PDF - 1,030 KB)
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2008)
Summarizes research on childhood stress and its implications for adult health and well-being, providing violence prevention practitioners with ideas about how to incorporate information on childhood stress into their work.

How Victims of Child Maltreatment Fare in School
Nguyen (2018)
Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Examines how homelessness, domestic violence, neglect, and abuse affect students across demographic and regional groups.

National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW), 1997-2014 and 2015-2022
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation
Examines child and family well-being outcomes in detail and seeks to relate those outcomes to their experience with the child welfare system and to family characteristics, community environment, and other factors.

(Back to Top)