What is defined as physical abuse?

• A. Physical injury inflicted on a child by other than accidental means, such as bruises, welts, burns, or cuts.
• B. Emotional neglect.
• C. Verbal abuse.
• D. Injury from accidental events.

Answer: (A)

The essential idea is that physical abuse involves injuries that are not accidental—harm caused on purpose or through non-accidental means. The description that best fits is physical injury inflicted on a child by other than accidental means, such as bruises, welts, burns, or cuts. This distinguishes it from injuries that occur by accident, which do not meet the definition of abuse. Emotional neglect and verbal abuse affect emotional well-being rather than physical injury, so they’re different categories, and injuries from accidents are not abuse because there was no intentional harm. In practice, recognizing non-accidental injuries prompts reporting to protect the child.