Child abuse is perhaps our number one public health problem (Wylie 1). Munchausen by proxy is a type of child abuse where the perpetrator is most often the parent or guardian of a small child. The parent will deliberately neglect and abuse their child to receive attention from doctors and others. This leads us to ask: what causes a parent to abuse their children in the first place? In many cases, the cause of abuse may be related to family relationship problems. In the novel Sick, by Julie Gregory, Gregory recounts his childhood with a mother who was diagnosed with Munchausen by proxy. She tells readers that her “mother married at the age of nineteen.” Marrying him when she was young caused them to argue and they didn't have a real relationship. Shortly after the death of her first husband, it seemed that she was desperate to find another husband because she felt isolated and alone, she needed attention in an intimate relationship. His need for attention fueled his desire to make Julie sick. A parent is also more likely to abuse their children if their spouse participates very little, if at all, in family activities, leaving the abusive parent to control everything. In another situation where family relationships could be a problem, a woman named “Shannon Hudson was trying to break up with the boys' father [her sons' abusive] when he shot her three times. Then he committed suicide” (Burling A1+). The abuse that led the husband to become angry and frustrated with his wife caused the act of violence that resulted in the breakdown of their relationship. "Domestic violence is often not so much physical as emotional or financial - a man with a large... ... middle of paper ...... from now on, they often turn to their parents to see how they should behave themselves. If their parents act a certain way, then these children grow up believing that what their parents are doing is right. This is the cycle of child abuse. Likewise, we also take into account that people diagnosed with Munchausen by proxy are most often in financial difficulties, have uncontrollable anger, have low self-esteem or have conflicts with their relationships. Researchers have invented all these notions that would lead to child abuse. They concluded that the main reason abusive parents are compelled to abuse is if they have been abused by their parents or close family members. Researchers also believe that the only way to ensure the cycle is intercepted is to protect children before they start developing the same behaviors as their parents..