Child Maltreatment: Developmental Processes and Biological Embedding

Catalog description

The purpose of this course is to review the breadth of literature on the biological and developmental impact of child maltreatment including sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect on youth victims. Students will learn how to integrate child maltreatment research into a relevant, cohesive framework for understanding child maltreatment's wide-reaching effects. The biological focus of the course will be on the health consequences of child maltreatment as well as the neurological, neuroendocrine, and genetic embedding of child maltreatment. The course will also focus on the developmental antecedents and sequelae of child maltreatment through childhood, adolescence, and the transition to adulthood, including addressing how intergenerational transmission, parenting, interpersonal relationships, and attachment are associated with exposure to child maltreatment.