Environmental circumstances sometimes elicit stressful behaviors, and the role of socioeconomic forces in child abuse and neglect has been extensively investigated. Socioeconomic stresses often occur in families faced with economic and educational disadvantages. Family structure also plays a role in that single- parent families comprise a disproportionate percentage of families in which abuse occurs. Overwhelming social forces that act on parents who have few resources or skills with which to cope and adapt can produce violent tendencies that lead to child maltreatment. Established theory is available to guide the design and implementation of programs sensitive to the potentially strong environmental influences on the behavior of abusive and neglectful family members. Evidence indicates that stresses derived from economic deprivation may be moderated by family support systems and that public assistance to needy families decreases abusive inclinations of parents toward their children. 125 references