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Neurobiological Consequences of Neglect and Abuse

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Handbook of Child Maltreatment

Part of the book series: Child Maltreatment ((MALT,volume 2))

Abstract

Abuse and neglect, which reflect extreme failures of caregiving, significantly interfere with children’s biological regulation and brain development. In this chapter, we review evidence showing that childhood maltreatment is associated with disruptions in the body’s stress response system and is linked to structural and functional changes in key brain regions and networks. Additionally, we describe a number of important methodological and conceptual issues involved in understanding the neurobiological effects of maltreatment, we discuss implications for intervention with children who have experienced maltreatment, and finally, we suggest critical directions for future research in this area. We conclude that the brain demonstrates notable plasticity early in life as evidenced by significant changes following maltreatment, as well as the potential for remarkable recovery following intervention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Delaware, Newark, USA

    Kristin Bernard, Teresa Lind & Mary Dozier

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  1. Kristin Bernard
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  2. Teresa Lind
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  3. Mary Dozier
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Correspondence to Kristin Bernard .

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  1. College of Arts and Sciences, Schubert Center for Child Studies, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Jill E. Korbin

  2. University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA

    Richard D. Krugman

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Bernard, K., Lind, T., Dozier, M. (2014). Neurobiological Consequences of Neglect and Abuse. In: Korbin, J., Krugman, R. (eds) Handbook of Child Maltreatment. Child Maltreatment, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7208-3_11

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