An Analysis of Child Maltreatment Content in Introductory Psychology Textbooks

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which introductory psychology textbooks cover child maltreatment and to evaluate how appropriately the information was presented. We randomly selected 15 introductory psychology textbooks from Koenig et al.' s (2004) Compendium of Introductory Psychology Texts. Three analyses included a subject index review, a content review, and a content analysis review. Although all of the textbooks covered the topic of child maltreatment in some fashion, they varied considerably in the specific forms of child maltreatment that they addressed. Furthermore, content that addressed child maltreatment consistently lacked appropriate emphasis and clear definitions. The results are discussed to enhance understanding regarding the most appropriate information on child maltreatment to include in introductory psychology textbooks.