IntroductionPoverty in America is not indicated by a specific income level, as most people think, but rather by a comparison of 48 possible poverty lines that take into account family size and composition regardless of geographic locations (Macartney, 2011). For example, the poverty line for a family of 5 with two children under the age of 18 would be $27,517 (census.gov 2013); an amount that would be difficult to live with in major cities where the cost of living is much higher. According to the Current Population Survey, 2013 Annual Social and Economic Supplement for the year 2012, there are 46.5 million people in America living in poverty, including 21.8% of children under the age of 18; the highest percentage since 2001 (census.gov 2013). There is no doubt that poverty has a dramatic effect on the functioning of families and is highly correlated with child abuse and neglect (Berger, 2004) affecting 1 in 5 children. There are many common factors associated with the stress of living in poverty that are indicators of potential child abuse or neglect. By identifying patterns that occur in cases of child maltreatment, among those living in poverty, the data can be used to tailor social programs that will reduce the frequency of child maltreatment. An overview of abandonment. Physical, sexual, emotional abuse, and neglect all occur among families living in poverty. Neglect is the most prevalent form of abuse among families living in poverty, accounting for more than half of all CPS investigations (Berger, 2004); although poor people may be more likely to be reported to the CPS due to a greater level of surveillance (Merritt, 2009). In a study group of 259 children recruited from pediatric clinics s...... half of the article...... B., Pandey, S. (1996). Understanding the relationship between neighborhood poverty and specific types of child maltreatment. Child abuse and neglect. vol. 20, no. 11. Pages 1003-1018. Elsevier Science Ltd. Merritt, D.H. (2009). Child Abuse Potential: Relates to rates of child maltreatment and structural measures of neighborhoods. Children and Youth Services Review, 31, 927-934. Lovejoy, M. C., Graczyk, P. A., O'Hare, E., & Neuman, G. (2000). Maternal depression and parenting behavior: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, Vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 561–592, What is depression? Overview, symptoms, causes and treatments. (2014). WebMD. Retrieved April 12, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/depression/mental-health-depressionBrown, G.W., Moran, P.M. (1997). Single mothers, poverty and depression. Psychological Medicine, 27, 21-33. Cambridge University Press