Question

What could be a good theory to use explaining child abuse

Answer 1

child abuse is a pretty vague term, I would get more specific before I even attempted. Consider abandonment, hitting, sexual abuse of various types, etc. All have different causal and trigger factors. Even child labor is abuse, and it is different from all the others.

Answer 2

Here are some sites on the causes of child abuse.

http://library.thinkquest.org/C0112203/causes.html

http://www.libraryindex.com/collection/13/Information-Plus-R-Reference-Series-Spring-2005.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/330412/what_are_some_causes_of_child_abuse.html?cat=25