Which term refers to physical, financial, or emotional harm?

• A. Maltreatment
• B. Injury
• C. Abuse
• D. Neglect

Answer: (C)

Harm that spans physical, financial, or emotional dimensions is best captured by the term abuse. In care contexts, abuse refers to actions or inactions that cause harm in any of these areas—physical abuse harms the body, financial abuse exploits or steals money or resources, and emotional abuse involves intimidation, humiliation, or manipulation. While maltreatment can include abuse and neglect, the specific idea of harm across these domains points most directly to abuse. Injury denotes actual bodily damage, not the broader pattern of harm across multiple types; neglect is about failing to provide needed care, which can lead to harm but doesn’t itself define the range of harmful actions described here.