Column: Stepping up to prevent child abuse - Massachusetts

"Child abuse and neglect do not occur in a vacuum. Individual, family and social factors often play a role and shape the extent to which children are at risk. Issues such as parents’ lack of understanding of child development, substance abuse, domestic violence, poverty and socioeconomic disadvantage, and community violence have all been identified as contributing to the incidence of child abuse and neglect.

"Alternatively, protective factors such as parent-child attachment, social connections, parental resilience, and concrete support for parents can shield children from maltreatment...."

http://www.salemnews.com/opinion/x210917661/Column-Stepping-up-to-prevent-child-abuse