This book addresses the problem of family violence from a developmental perspective. Rather than limiting its focus to a specific stage of development, the book encourages the consideration of the effects of violence on victims at all points in the life span from infancy to adulthood. Within each period, chapters treat normal development, the effects of abuse on development, and strategies for change. The contributors also explore special topics such as the criminalization of family violence, abuse of the disabled, race and ethnicity in family violence, and the empowerment of battered women. -- from Book Jacket.