Child maltreatment is “any act that seriously endangers the physical or emotional well-being of a child” (Belsky, 2010). There are four types of child maltreatment: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. Physical abuse is any physical harm that causes bruising. It includes everything from extreme spanking to beatings, which could result in death. Causing serious emotional harm, such as terrorizing or taking advantage of a child, is considered emotional abuse. Sexual abuse includes everything from fondling and exhibitionistic acts to rape and incest. When parents do not provide adequate supervision and care for their children it is called neglect. This includes not providing enough food, abandoning the child, or not enrolling the child in school. There are numerous influences that can cause caregivers to behave in physically or emotionally abusive ways. Parental personality problems have a great influence. Parents who mistreat their children usually suffer from some type of psychological disorder such as depression or substance abuse. They can become unpredictable...