Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect: An Ecological Approach

Child abuse and neglect has been a concern for professionals working in the field of mental health, especially in recent years. In the relevant literature, there are several approaches to understanding child abuse, identifying the risk factors that lead to abuse, and preventing child abuse. Unfortunately, these approaches often insufficient to understand and eliminate a complex social problem such as child abuse. According to the ecological approach, child abuse occurs as a result of the interaction of a large number of factors, not a single acting effect. This model, which provides a systematic framework for conducting research and practices on abuse, is the most comprehensive model that contributes to understanding child abuse and neglect. In this study, the phenomenon of child abuse is evaluated within the framework of an ecological model, and in this context, practical recommendations are presented to experts working in the field at the macro, mezzo and micro level.