Abuse and Victimization across the Life Span (Contemporary Medicine and Public Health)

Abuse and Victimization across the Life Span addresses the problem of family violence from a developmental perspective. Rather than limiting the focus to a specific state of development, the book encourages professionals and students to consider the effects of violence on victims at all points in the life span, from infancy to late adulthood. For each period, chapters treat normal development, the effects of abuse on development, and strategies for change.

The contributors also explore topics such as the criminalization of family violence, the abuse of disabled people, racial and ethnic factors in family violence, and the empowerment of battered women. Combining theoretical, empirical, and practical concerns, Abuse and Victimization across the Life Span is of importance to both researchers and practitioners.

Martha B. Straus has served as director of Advocacy from Women and Kids in Emergencies (AWAKE), a project providing services to battered women with abused children, at Children's Hospital in Boston. An instructor at the Harvard Medical School, she specializes in evaluating and treating cases of family violence.