A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study showed close to one in 50 infants in the country were victims of child abuse or neglect in their first year. The study found that infant child abuse is far more common than many people think. “Child abuse can result in long term depression and mental health issues. Child abuse affects us all,” says Robin Valencia, Program Coordinator for the Amador County Child Abuse Prevention Council.

The CDC study focused on non-fatal abuse, and found that nearly 30,000 infants in the country were abused or neglected in their first week of life. More than 90,000 were abused or neglected before their second birthday. Experts said alcohol and drug abuse, poverty, and mental illness may contribute to abuse of children, and that it's passed from generation to generation. Another factor is a general lack of knowledge about child care. Information for the CDC study came from a national database of cases reported from 2005 and 2006.

It covered 45 states, Washington D.C and Puerto Rico. Another recent study by Prevent Child Abuse America, or PCAA, estimates that the direct cost of child abuse and neglect in the US is $94 billion annually. PCAA did not take into account indirect factors, such as the provision of Welfare benefits to adults whose economic condition is a direct result of the abuse and neglect they suffered as children.