PENS stands for which four types of abuse?

• A. Physical, Emotional, Neglect, Sexual
• B. Physical, Emotional, Neglect, Abandonment
• C. Physical, Economic, Neglect, Sexual
• D. Physical, Social, Neglect, Sexual

Answer: (A)

PENS is a shorthand used in child welfare to categorize four ways a child can be harmed: Physical, Emotional, Neglect, and Sexual abuse. Each type captures a distinct form of harm: physical abuse involves bodily injury, emotional abuse affects a child’s mental and emotional well-being, neglect is the failure to meet basic needs like food, shelter, supervision, and medical care, and sexual abuse involves inappropriate sexual contact or exploitation. The other options mix in terms like abandonment, economic, or social abuse that aren’t part of the PENS framework, so they don’t fit the standard four categories.