To give one of the most accurate descriptions on reporting the incidents of child abuse, I refer you to the Fourth Annual Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-4)_[1] conducted by Westat, Inc. for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which provides the following information.

A drop in child abuse was first erroneously reported in 2010 in the New York Times which stated that the incidents of child abuse and neglect had dropped 38% from 1993 to 2006. That same year, at NBC NEWS.com, they also incorrectly reported that “Child Abuse Drops Sharply in US”… “by 26 percent from 1993 to 2006.[1]”

My name is Sandra Trott. I am currently working on my dissertation to obtain a doctorate in counseling psychology. I am in need of participants for my study. The purpose of my study is to explore how abuse/neglect in childhood and or adulthood affects interpersonal relationships and interactions with coworkers. I was drawn to this particular topic due to the abuse my sisters and I endured during childhood and the domestic violence my mother and two of my sisters have experienced in their marriages. This new line of research might provide mental health professionals and crisis workers additional insights as to areas that survivors may need support.

The American Psychological Association is proposing a new diagnosis called “Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD) for the next edition of their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V). According to a May 2005 article in Psychiatric Annals (Vol. 34, No. 5, pages 401-408) by Boston University Medical Center psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk, MD, for children to meet the criteria for DTD, they would have to show:_[1]

At this time, there is no single diagnosis for children who have experienced multiple traumas and who struggle with self-regulation. They could be a child abuse victim who has also experienced a death in the family. There are any number of debilitating problems a child might be experiencing with a corresponding multitude of diagnoses that are used to treat the child. Listed below are some of the diagnoses currently used and some of their shortfalls._[1]