The extent of severe childhood abuse is little known. Drawing on twenty years of systematic research and interviews, Wednesday's Child examines the reasons why as much as 25% of women have been victims of child abuse, and how this abuse reverberates into their adult lives, doubling their chances of clinical depression. The words of many ordinary women are documented here, vividly demonstrating how as survivors of child abuse, their adult relationships and self-esteem have suffered. The authors, who discuss abuse in terms of marital breakdown, poverty and parental psychiatric disorder also show us what we can learn from the experiences of these survivors, assessing factors which will reduce the later impact of childhood abuse on both the children of today and the parents of tomorrow. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.