An up-to-date analysis of the factors contributing to abuse This newly revised edition of a classic in the field of child abuse and neglect presents effective guidelines for prevention, protection, and rehabilitation. Compelling and compassionate, this book explores why and how families become abusive. It then offers both the wisdom and specific clinical interventions that will aid in the understanding of abuser and victim. Understanding Abusive Families offers cutting-edge information and prescriptions for change reagrding: * the patterns of incidence and prevalence * the community context of child abuse and the issue of social support * psychological and sexual maltreatment * child abuse in institutional families * the special issues involved in adolescent maltreatment