Developmental psychopathology is “a perspective that in order to comprehend disorders in their full complexity it is necessary to possess an understanding of the organization and integration of biological, psychological, and social systems at multiple levels of analysis, within individuals across different contexts and varying developmental periods” (Cicchetti, 2006) demonstrating the multidisciplinary approach.
The approach is characterised with three concepts the “investigation of both normal and abnormal development” as comparisons across both allows allows a holistic perspective as looking only at abnormal development is limited in its nature. The role of “divergent pathways from risk factors to end point”, as it is seen that the same risk factors can result in differing outcomes …show more content…
It has been defined by the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) as “maltreatment of a child…either directly by inflicting harm, or indirectly, by failing to act to prevent harm” (Bebbington et al., 2011). Abuse can be seen in four subtypes physical, sexual, emotional and neglect.
The current incidence rate is problematic due to the issue surrounding the definition of abuse and neglect in research; it is essential to aim for a concrete definition to prevent confusion across the literature. Furthermore, variance around prevalence is also dependent on the measures used, the population and the methodology within research, which must be considered when making comparisons across research to ensure the conclusions drawn are accurate. Recent figures from the NSPCC contact helpline (2014/2015) are shown in the bar chart below. However, these figures must be taken with caution as the gap between incidence rates and those still requiring attention are yet to be reduced due to the nature of such