Child Physical Abuse

Abstract Child physical abuse is an all‐too‐common form of child maltreatment, second only to neglect. There are varying definitions of child physical abuse, but the most important point is that a child has sustained tissue injury. This can range from bruises to fractures to life‐threatening or fatal head trauma. Determining the incidence and prevalence of physical abuse is difficult for many reasons; national datasets almost certainly do not provide an accurate picture. There are multiple risk factors for child physical abuse, but children can be abused without any risk factors present. Diagnosing child physical abuse requires a thorough medical assessment including a detailed history, complete physical examination, and often ancillary studies such as labs and radiology studies. Abusive head trauma is the leading cause of death in abused children, and often leads to long‐term neurodevelopmental delays. Physically abused children may have short‐ and long‐term medical and mental health problems as a result of their experiences.