Understanding the root causes of child mistreatment and abuse should be a key concern of child and adolescent psychiatrists. However, the issue is often framed in such a way that we fail to ask how and why child abuse happens. One framework for the psychosocial motivations behind child abuse is the concept of childism, or prejudice against children. A series such as The Twilight Zone can offer a means of exploring unhealthy adult-child dynamics and applying the concept of childism to better understand them.
© 2020 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.