APA Dictionary of Psychology

the effects on a child of intentional and repeated physical abuse by parents or other caregivers. In addition to sustaining physical injuries, the child is at increased risk of experiencing longer-term problems, such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, decreased self-esteem, and sexual and other behavioral difficulties. See also child abuse. [term introduced in 1962 by German-born U.S. pediatrician C. Henry Kempe (1922–1984) and colleagues]