Child Maltreatment: Theory, Research, and Impact

Catalog description

Theory and research pertaining to the causes, bio-psycho-social consequences, and the public health impact of childhood maltreatment. The purpose of this course is for students to learn to think critically about child maltreatment concepts, research, and treatment. Students will be thinking about child maltreatment at multiple levels, including individual, family, and prevention. Therefore, this course will review the breadth of literature on the biological, psychological, and public health impact of child maltreatment including sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect. The course will cover the prevalence and history of child maltreatment, long-term outcomes of maltreatment, research methods, and evidence-based treatment and prevention approaches. State-of-the-art research in the areas of prevention, treatment, biological sequelae, developmental consequences, and intergenerational transmission will be covered. Building on existing research, students will learn to apply critical thinking skills in order to recognize, articulate, and apply the concept of scientific impact to the field of child maltreatment.