The developmental consequences of child maltreatment deserve empirical inquiry. This article examines the link between etiology and developmental outcome, focusing on the infant-parent attachment bond. Studies reviewed point to a strong association between child maltreatment and attachment insecurity. As this review points out, the consequences do not stop here: Child-peer relations are likewise dysfunctional. Because abused children are at risk as adults for mistreating their own offspring, it is important that intervention efforts, which compensate for earlier dysfunctional interactions through enhancing the child's self-worth and providing a model of consideration and caring, be instituted at the earliest possible time.
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