Parent characteristics were the best predictors of abandonment. Mothers who evidence sexual promiscuity and/or alcoholism, physical/health problems, and temporary financial problems were most likely to abandon their children. Family interaction appeared to be important in physical abuse. There appeared to be more stress, more parental psychological problems, and more perpetrators who were not biologically related to the child. While child emotional or psychological problems appeared to be related to emotional abuse, no parental or environmental predictors distinguished emotional abuse from other types of abuse. Factors associated with neglect included low income, inadequate housing, financial problems, too many children for income, and parental intellectual inadequacy. No relationship was found between sexual abuse and intellectual or physical problems of the child. Victims were more often female and perpetrators were more often male. Evidence also was found for a relationship between sexual abuse and parent-child conflict and the presence of a promiscuous/alcoholic father. 2 tables, 2 footnotes, and 10 references. (Author abstract modified)