An odyssey of discovery: Lessons learned through three decades of research on child maltreatment

Research directed toward maltreated children possesses an urgency characteristic of all problems of great social import. Child maltreatment sets in motion a probabilistic path that is characterized by failure in the successful resolution of major stage-salient issues of development. These developmental disruptions contribute to a profile of relatively enduring risk factors that increase the likelihood that maladaptation and psychopathology will ensue. The author describes a 30-year journey as an investigator of child maltreatment. Areas that he has focused on over the course of this investigative odyssey are highlighted. He concludes with a discussion of the social policy implications of this work, including how research on child maltreatment can contribute to decreasing the burden of mental illness.