CONCEPTIONS OF CHILD ABUSE SUPPORTED BY RESEARCH CHARACTERIZE THE ABUSER AS MENTALLY ILL, EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED, IMMATURE, ALCOHOLIC, POOR, UNEDUCATED, AND OR FROM A LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS. IN GENERAL, THESE CONCEPTIONS ARE INFORMED BY A MEDICAL MODEL OF CHILD ABUSE. WHEN ABUSE IS CONCEPTUALIZED AS AN ILLNESS, POLICY IS SHAPED ACCORDINGLY. ONE COMPONENT OF THIS POLICY IS THE REMOVAL OF CHILDREN WHO ARE ABUSED BY THEIR PARENTS. ALTHOUGH THIS TYPE OF INTERVENTION EFFECTIVELY PREVENTS FURTHER ABUSE, NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THUS, THIS FORM OF INTERVENTION SHOULD BE AVOIDED WHEN POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE CONCEPTION UPON WHICH THE POLICY IS BASED HAS NOT BEEN DEFINITIVELY DEMONSTRATED. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SELECTIVE ACCEPTANCE OF RESEARCH FINDINGS THAT SUPPORT THE ILLNESS CONCEPTION. WHEN PEOPLE ACCEPT THE ILLNESS MODEL OF ABUSE AND THE RESEARCH THAT VERIFIES IT, THIS CONCEPTION MAY INFLUENCE THEIR SUBSEQUENT JUDGMENTS MORE THAN THE REALITY OF THE OBSERVED SITUATION. REPORTING, DIAGNOSIS, COURT DECISION, TREATMENT, AND PLACEMENT BACK INTO THE ORIGINAL HOME CAN ALL BE AFFECTED BY THE CONCEPTION THAT PARTICIPANTS HAVE OF CHILD ABUSE. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND THE CAUSES OF CHILD ABUSE AND UNTIL A SOLID FOUNDATION OF KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING CHILD ABUSE IS OBTAINED, CHILDREN'S PROTECTIVE SERVICES SHOULD ADOPT A LOW PROFILE IN TERMS OF INTERVENTION. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--PRG)