In Understanding Abnormal Child Psychology, students will learn about both normative and abnormal development throughout children’s lives. Consistent with previous editions, several themes run throughout the book:

• Developmental psychopathology: Children's and adolescents' behaviors are on a continuum (from very adaptive to very maladaptive), with only the very severe ends of the spectrum being conceptualized as disorders.
• Diversity, inclusion, and understanding: Special attention is given to issues of race/ethnicity, gender, family constellation, religious orientation, primary language, socioeconomic status, and physical differences to help students see the commonalities and differences of abnormal child behavior within a cross-cultural and international context.

New to the 4th edition

• Completely revised in both structure and content to reflect the DSM-5
• Increase coverage of risk factors related to long-term effects of sexual abuse and bullying.
• Increased coverage of diversity to include new "diversities" that have emerged as important, i.e. transgender children
• New research on suicide and suicide prevention

Vicky Phares is a professor of psychology at the University of South Florida. Her research looks at a variety of issues related to child, adolescent, and family functioning with particular interest in exploring the connections between psychopathology in fathers, mothers, and children, and on gender in relation to parenting, particularly as relates to anxious youth. Projects include the exploration of fathers' and mothers' involvement in therapy, mother-blaming, and racial/ethnic differences and similarities in families. She is currently exploring connections between parents' and children's prosocial behavior, with a specific focus on volunteerism.