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In this commentary, the editorial team of Child Maltreatment extends and expands on APSAC's position on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, affirms our commitment and plans for addressing these issues in this publication, and highlights articles in this issue that continue the discussion about race and racism in the child welfare and child protection systems.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often considered the primary problematic outcome of child sexual abuse (CSA). However, a number of other, relatively understudied negative sequelae appear to be prevalent as well. Data from 269 adolescents with a CSA history from the National Survey of Adolescents—Replication Study were therefore used to examine the prevalence of risky behaviors (i.e., problematic alcohol and drug use, delinquent behavior) and depression in this sample. The frequencies of these problems in youth with and without a history of PTSD also were examined. Results indicated that risky behaviors and depression were reported as or more frequently than PTSD. Among youth with a history of PTSD, depression and delinquent behavior were more common than among those without a history of PTSD. However, there were no differences between adolescents with and without a history of PTSD in reported problematic substance use. Findings highlight the need for comprehensive trauma-informed interventions for CSAexposed adolescents.

A national household probability sample of 4,023 adolescents (ages 12 to 17) completed telephone interviews assessing demographics, adverse family environment, and violence exposure. Logistic regressions examined relations among family environment and each violence exposure type, controlling for demographics and other violence exposures. Relationships between family environment and violence exposure varied, depending on type of violence reported, most notably between intrafamilial versus extrafamilial violence. After controlling for family environment, exposure to one violence type significantly increased the likelihood of other violence exposures. Family substance use and not always living with a natural parent were significantly associated with all three types of violence exposure. Findings indicate that clinical assessments should include a thorough evaluation of family environment and violence exposure and also highlight the need for treatment to focus on the adolescent and broader family unit. Future research is needed to further examine these complex interrelationships and their associations with adolescent outcomes.

Childhood rape occurs frequently in our society and is associated with adverse consequences. Despite the severity of these outcomes, there appear to be many obstacles for children to receive postrape medical care. To date, it is unclear what proportion of childhood rape victims receive postrape medical examinations or what factors predict receipt of this medical care. This study investigated the factors predicting immediate medical care for women who were raped during childhood. Data for the study were obtained from the final wave of the 2-year, longitudinal National Women's Study. Results indicated that the majority of women did not receive medical care following their childhood rape. Although women raped as adolescents were more likely to receive a postrape exam, logistic regression analyses indicated that rape characteristics (e.g., reporting the assault, concerns about sexually transmitted diseases [STDs]) mediated the relationship between age of victimization and receipt of medical care. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Clinicians often assert that disclosure of childhood rape is beneficial to victims because it sets the occasion for protective action and can bring them into contact with professionals trained to address rape-related mental health needs. Consistent with this is the hypothesis that victims of childhood rape who disclose their victimization soon after it occurs are at lower risk for later psychosocial difficulties relative to those who delay disclosure or never disclose. We explored this issue with a nationally representative sample of 3,220 adult women; 288 (8.9%) endorsed at least one instance of forcible sexual penetration prior to age 18. Results revealed a significantly higher past-year prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive episodes among women who waited longer than 1 month to disclose their rape relative to nondisclosers and women who disclosed within 1 month of the rape. Delayed disclosure remained associated with PTSD after controlling for demographic and rape characteristics. Patterns of disclosure were not associated with past-year substance-use problems.

This study examines how key demographic variables and specific child sexual assault (CSA) incident characteristics were related to whether adolescents reported that they had told anyone about an alleged sexual assault. The study also investigates whether there were differences in the correlates of CSA disclosure as a function of gender and race/ethnicity. A national household probability sample of 4,023 adolescents was interviewed by telephone about childhood experiences, including CSA history. Significant gender and racial/ethnic differences were obtained in rates of CSA disclosure: Sexually abused boys and African American youth were less likely to report telling anyone they had been sexually abused. Separate regression models examining correlates of CSA disclosure yielded differences as a function of gender and race/ethnicity.

Limited research has examined whether similar patterns in injurious spanking and other forms of child physical abuse (CPA) exist across specific ethnic/racial groups. The authors examined and compared differences in the lifetime prevalence of injurious spanking and CPA in two national samples of adolescents across ethnic/racial groups and over time. Participants were 4,023 youth (12—17 years) and 3,614 youth (12—17 years) who participated in the 1995 National Survey of Adolescents (NSA) and 2005 National Survey of Adolescents—Replication (NSA-R), respectively. Adolescents, who were identified through random digit dial procedures, completed a telephone interview assessment. Results indicated significant ethnic/racial variation across groups in reports of injurious spanking in the NSA and the NSA-R samples; however, significant differences were not observed within groups between the two samples over time. Ethnic/racial differences also were found between groups in reports of CPA in the NSA-R sample. Limitations and future directions of this research are discussed.

Although the term attachment disorder is ambiguous, attachment therapies are increasingly used with children who are maltreated, particularly those in foster care or adoptive homes. Some children described as having attachment disorders show extreme disturbances. The needs of these children and their caretakers are real. How to meet their needs is less clear. A number of attachment-based treatment and parenting approaches purport to help children described as attachment disordered. Attachment therapy is a young and diverse field, and the benefits and risks of many treatments remain scientifically undetermined. Controversies have arisen about potentially harmful attachment therapy techniques used by a subset of attachment therapists. In this report, the Task Force reviews the controversy and makes recommendations for assessment, treatment, and practices. The report reflects American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children's (APSAC) position and also was endorsed by the American Psychological Association's Division 37 and the Division 37 Section on Child Maltreatment.

The United States continues to grapple with longstanding policies and systems that have adversely impacted historically marginalized communities who identify (and are racialized) as non-White. These stem from a legacy of structural and systemic racism, and the long-term consequences of sanctioned colonization. This legacy rests upon a field of scholarly research that is similarly fraught with white supremacy. As a field, we must examine the process of producing and publishing the body of evidence that has codified harmful policies and practices. Although racial and ethnic disparities have been discussed for decades in the child welfare and health systems, systemic racism has received comparatively little attention in academic research and journals. In this commentary, the authors detail concrete steps over the coming years that will advance diversity, equity, inclusion and justice through American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children's (APSACs) flagship journal, Child Maltreatment. The journal is committed to anti-racist publication processes, such that the journal pledges to develop procedures, processes, structures, and culture for scholarly research that promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in all forms.