A report on the first effort at a national survey to determine the incidence and patterns of domestic violence focuses on the Bureau of Justice Statistic's National Crime Survey, a victimization survey. Given the limitations of this survey, it still reports a shocking number of annual instances of family violence (456,000). Following the survey discussion, a history of child abuse is presented, along with a discussion of the problems of defining and reporting child abuse. Data are presented from the American Humane Association's National Study on Child Neglect and Abuse Reporting. A chapter on child sexual abuse considers definitions, frequency, victim and abuser profiles, court testimony, and effects. Chapters on wife abuse discuss its roots in cultural tradition, relatively recent recognition of the problem's extent, causes, and the victim's loneliness and isolation. In discussing where abused wives can find help, chapters address the help provided by police; the judicial system; and refuges, safehouses, and shelters. The book concludes with a chapter on the hidden problem of domestic violence against the elderly. Subject index, data tables.