This authoritative reference work surveys family violence and abuse in America and the many forms that it can take. It provides extensive coverage of widely recognized forms of violence and abuse in family settings, including physical, verbal, and emotional abuse of spouses and intimate partners (both female and male) as well as children. In addition, the encyclopedia scrutinizes less recognized types of violence and abuse in households, such as abuse of siblings by other siblings and abuse of parents or grandparents by children and grandchildren (both minor and adult).

The encyclopedia will thus be a valuable resource for readers seeking to better understand the true scope of these various forms of violence and abuse, important factors that contribute to incidence of family violence and abuse, and the various elements of laws, programs, and therapy alternatives that have been created to help victims of abuse and rehabilitate offenders.

Features

• Nearly 300 scholarly encyclopedia entries cover different aspects of family violence and abuse
• Covers all forms of family violence, including child abuse, sibling abuse, partner/spouse abuse, and elder abuse
• Chronology tracks milestones in public policy and sociological research into family violence in its various forms
• Appendix of important local, state, and national organizations/programs devoted to helping victims of violence and abuse