The Nation - News from Nov. 11, 1985

A decade of heightened public awareness has led to a sharp drop in the incidence of severe violence to children, a recent study found. Dr. Richard J. Gelles of the University of Rhode Island and Dr. Murray A. Straus of the University of New Hampshire said they found that while 3.6% of children between 3 and 17 in two-parent families were severely abused in 1975, only 1.9% of those in that age group were victimized this year. They attributed the decline to couples marrying later, waiting longer to have children and having fewer children.