A significant number of these children were also maltreated. Since 1986, CPS agencies nationwide have reported an epidemic of drug use among their caseloads, and that is having a major impact on their ability to intervene effectively on behalf of children and families. While societal stresses impact the incidence of abuse, the individual makeup of the abuser, the child, and indeed the entire family can also play a part. Parents may find that low self-esteem, loneliness, low frustration tolerance, or depression contribute to their inability to cope with their children. Poor communication between spouses, blurred generation boundaries, or lack of knowledge about child development hampers couples in their efforts to maintain a stable family and to not abuse.
Some children are at higher risk of abuse than others.
For example, there may be a higher likelihood of maltreatment for children who were born prematurely or with a handicap or children who were conceived in a time of parental stress or depression. In addition, the behavior and conditions of some children appear to stimulate abuse at the hands of parents. Gold suggested that children with health problems as infants, severe allergies, severe mood swings, or hyperactivity with learning disabilities and other psychological problems may tax the resources of their parents, perhaps resulting in abuse. It is difficult to determine the exact cause of child maltreatment. Let us consider several case scenarios.