Contextual factors, notably the
family environment and wider community, are also important because they may moderate the developmental effects of child maltreatment, thereby accounting for some of the
heterogeneity in the outcomes associated with abuse and neglect (Zielinski and Bradshaw, 2006; Berry, 2007); the extent to which children who get hit experience impaired health or development depends on its frequency and whether it occurs
in a low - warmth / high - criticism
environment (DoH, 1995).