The discussion notes that adolescent abuse accounts for as much as 30 percent of all reported cases, but that both professionals and the public tend to assume that adolescent abuse is rare. The authors describe the characteristics of dysfunctional families and the differences between abusive and neglectful parents. Additional chapters explain the causes and effects of adolescent abuse and neglect, the obvious and subtle signs of abuse or neglect, and the actions involved in effective prevention and intervention. The authors conclude that both individual citizens, professionals, and agencies need greater awareness of their roles and responsibilities and that financial, practical, and educational resources are needed to cope with the problem. Chapter reference notes and list of additional references by 16 authors.