Case Studies in Family Violence

The past 20 years have seen the emergence of family violence as one of the most critical problems facing society. The alarming incidence figures of abuse and neglect directed toward family members justify this atten­ tion. For example, over 1 million children are thought to be abused and neglected each year. Similarly, almost 2 million women are victims of wife battering each year. Annual rates of elderly mistreatment are thought to be as high as 32 per 1000 population. Accurate epidemiologi­