“The Battered-Child Syndrome” 50 Years Later: Much Accomplished, Much Left to Do

Maltreatment is far more common than first reported by Kempe et al. Data about the scope of the problem have been obtained from child protection services agencies, mortality statistics, hospital discharge data, and national surveys of adults, parents and older children and adolescents. Here, Leventhal and Krugman stress that the 50th anniversary of the article by Kempe et al is an opportunity to reflect on three salient lessons learned over the past 5 decades about the care of maltreated children: (1) many children and families are affected; (2) the consequences can be lifelong and intergenerational; and (3) treatment and prevention can work but need to be expanded.