Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Child Abuse
Child abuse is doing something or failing to do something that results in harm to a child or puts a child at risk of harm. Child abuse can be physical, sexual or emotional. Neglect, or not providing for a child's needs, is also a form of abuse.
Most abused children suffer greater emotional than physical damage. An abused child may become depressed. He or she may withdraw, think of suicide or become violent. An older child may use drugs or alcohol, try to run away or abuse others.
Child abuse is a serious problem. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call the police or your local child welfare agency.
It sits within Children and Teenagers, Injuries and Wounds and Social/Family Issues.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Child Abuse
286 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Reducing Parental Substance Use and Enhancing Family Resilience Among Rural Families Through Ohio STARTOhio State University
- Integrating Evidence-based Approaches to Prevent Child Maltreatment in KyrgyzstanThe University of Texas at Arlington
- Early Test of an Innovative Child Maltreatment (CM) Prevention StrategyMedical University of South Carolina
- Testing the CrOss Systems Technical Assistance for Retaining Staff (COSTARS) Model for Improving Staff Retention Among Child Welfare Workers and Peer Supporters, and Implementation of Evidence Based Interventions.Alicia Bunger
- Preventing Vulnerable Child Syndrome in the NICU With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (PreVNT Trial)University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- QAIAx (AIhealth4U) - AI Public Health Central: Microcity-A (re Quantum AI Agency Aka AI City Hall Project, UPSTO App Nos. 64/074,526, 64/063,557, 63/903,181, 63/729,428Veterans Recovery Network Inc.
Research already completed
- Intensive Inpatient Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (II-TF-CBT) for Adolescents With PTSD Following Sexual AbuseAnkara City Hospital Bilkent
- Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education for Primary School ChildrenTokat Gaziosmanpasa University
- Health Behavior in School-Age Children: NEXT Longitudinal Study 2009-2016Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Study Aimed at Detecting Potential Abuse of Nitrous Oxide in Children During Dental CareNantes University Hospital
- Study to Understand Risk and Resilience Opportunity for Newborns After DeliveryWashington University School of Medicine
- Preventing Parental Opioid and/or Methamphetamine Addiction Within DHS-Involved Families: PRE-FAIRChestnut Health Systems
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Child Abuse: The Hidden BruisesAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Child TraumaSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- Definitions of Child Abuse and NeglectChildren's Bureau
- What Is Child Abuse and Neglect? Recognizing the Signs and SymptomsChildren's Bureau
Prevention and Risk Factors
- PreventionChildren's Bureau
Statistics and Research
- About Adverse Childhood ExperiencesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- About Violence Against Children and Youth SurveysCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- CDC Vital Signs: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Child AbuseNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Child Abuse. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Child Abuse, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.