Abstract
Psychological maltreatment is increasingly recognized as a core issue in all forms of child maltreatment and as the unifying concept that connects the cognitive, affective, and interpersonal problems that are related to physical abuse, sexual abuse, and all forms of neglect (Brassard, Germain, & Hart, 1987;Brassard, Hart, & Hardy, 1993; Hart & Brassard, 1987). It is the repeated pattern of behavior or extreme incident that expresses to children that they are worthless, unwanted, unloved, or only of value in meeting another’s needs that causes the lasting damage to their selves and their psyches.
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Brassard, M.R., Hart, S.N., Hardy, D.B. (2000). Psychological and Emotional Abuse of Children. In: Ammerman, R.T., Hersen, M. (eds) Case Studies in Family Violence. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4171-4_14
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