Some variations exist in the specific definitions of child abuse in individual state laws.
Most child abuse involves parents or other family members.
Child abuse may be emotional, physical, or sexual. Emotional abuse is a pattern of behavior attacking a child's self-worth. It includes belittling, terrorizing, isolating, rejecting, ignoring, and corrupting the child. When continued over a period of time, these activities affect the child's emotional development. Physical abuse is the non-accidental injury of a child caused by the acts of a parent or other caregiver.