Causes of child abuse and neglect

Understanding service use and victim patterns associated with re-reports of alleged maltreatment perpetrators

Despite the fact that the goal of child welfare is to impact the caregiver's behavior rather than the child's, research on recurrence at the alleged perpetrator level is scant compared to research on child level recurrence. No prior studies both controlled for services participation by the caregiver and explored whether a recurrence happens with the same child. This study helps fill the gap by analyzing caregivers who are alleged perpetrators and later recurrence of abuse or neglect. In-home child welfare services were initially associated with lower recidivism but this effect moderates over time. Receipt of AFDC at study start did not impact likelihood of recidivism but receipt of AFDC (or later TANF) after the first report appears to lower the risk of recurrence. Among low income women, a history of mental health or substance abuse treatment was associated with higher recurrence. Among re-reports of alleged perpetrators, nearly 45% had at least one new child on the report. Caucasian and older perpetrators were less likely to have an alleged recurrence involving a new child. Women with mental health (but not substance abuse) treatment histories and those who had child welfare services after the first report were more likely to be re-reported for alleged maltreatment of a new child.

Cross-type recidivism among child maltreatment victims and perpetrators

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the extent to which child maltreatment victims and perpetrators were reported for different types of maltreatment over time (cross-type recidivism). Second, this study examined whether certain individual, community or child welfare service variables were associated with a tendency for the first recidivism event to be the same as the initial report among cases involving sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect.

METHOD

Statewide administrative data on child abuse reporting at the child and perpetrator levels were linked to data on child welfare services and census information to examine cross-type recidivism prospectively for 4.5 years. Analyses include descriptive and logistic regression techniques.

RESULTS

There was substantial cross-type recidivism at both the child and perpetrator levels, with neglect being the most common recidivism type. Among neglect cases, "lack of supervision" was the most frequent subtype at time of re-report regardless of the initial subtype of neglect reported. Predictors of remaining within-type varied by the type of maltreatment initially reported and by perpetrator compared to child-level analyses. For example, among physical abuse cases, older child victims were more likely to remain within-type, while the opposite was true for neglect.

CONCLUSIONS

Cross-type recidivism is common among re-reported cases of maltreatment. Non-neglect cases that re-reported to child welfare agencies are likely to return for neglect. Child welfare risk assessment, service provision, and research on children and families with a recidivism event should be focused neglect and on broad areas of need and risk rather than rely on typologies based on the index event. Researchers attempting to model recurrent maltreatment should consider recurrence at the child and perpetrator levels separately.

Functioning of child maltreating families: lack of resources for caring within the family

The purpose of this study was to develop a preliminary theoretical model of functioning of child maltreating families. Child maltreatment was defined as physical, psychological or sexual abuse or neglect caused by the child's primary caregivers. The aim was to generate knowledge needed in developing understanding and the care of these families. Data were collected using interviews with open-ended questions from child maltreating families (n = 20). Transcribed interviews were analysed by using grounded theory and its constant comparative method. The categories of family functioning included structural factors of the family, relationships between family members, relationships outside the family, family strengths, and risk factors and manifestations of maltreatment. The relationships that emerged between these categories included conflicts and negative circles of family life and the effects of child maltreatment on the family. Lack of resources for caring within the family emerged as the core category which described the phenomenon in general and was connected to all other categories of family functioning. The findings can be useful in developing the care of child maltreating families, in nursing education and in preventing child maltreatment.

The nature and frequency of reported cases of teacher perpetrated child sexual abuse in rural primary schools in Zimbabwe

OBJECTIVE

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the nature and magnitude of reported cases of teacher perpetrated child sexual abuse of rural primary school pupils in Zimbabwe. The study also determined the distribution of reported cases of child sexual abuse according to the characteristics of victims and perpetrators.

METHOD

This is a retrospective case series study of reported cases of child sexual abuse drawn from six randomly selected educational jurisdictions. The study covered an 8-year period (1990-1997) and used a study sample of 110 nonclinical case files of teacher perpetrators. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the findings.

RESULTS

Gender-wise, 108 (98%) of the victims were girls, while all perpetrators were male teachers. Penetrative sex was the most prevalent (70%) type of sexual abuse. Meanwhile, the modal age for sexual abuse in the study sample was 12 years, which represents 46% of reported cases, while the most vulnerable age group comprised pubertal (11-13 years) children, who accounted for 69% of all sexual abuse cases. On the one hand, beginning teachers (0-5 years), who comprised 63% of the study sample, were most at risk of sexually abusing school children. Finally, 78% of 32 cases handled by the courts resulted in convictions, while 83% of all teacher perpetrators were dismissed from the teaching service.

CONCLUSION

The results of the study clearly indicate that the problem of teacher perpetrated child sexual abuse is not uncommon among rural primary schools in Zimbabwe. The study has also shown that the perpetrators of child sexual abuse in rural primary schools are generally male teachers; a majority of them are young and inexperienced. Finally, this study showed that penetrative sex was the most prevalent form of abuse (70%), perpetrated on predominantly female victims (98%), and that all perpetrator teachers were males, and may clearly reflect Zimbabwe's highly patriarchal society.

Risk factors of child maltreatment within the family: towards a knowledgeable base of family nursing

The purpose of this study was to compare family dynamics in child maltreating families (n=42) with that in ordinary families with children (n=77), and to ascertain risk factors of child maltreatment within the family. Child maltreatment was defined as physical, psychological or sexual abuse or neglect of a child by a parent. Data were collected using questionnaires (Family Dynamics Measure 2, FMD 2) (N=119) basing on Barnhill's conceptual framework of healthy family systems and analysed by forming sum variables and logistic regression. The study results indicate that family functioning in child maltreating families is lower on all dimensions of family dynamics (individuation, mutuality, flexibility, stability, communication and roles) than that in ordinary families with children. Furthermore, it seems that specific risk factors, detected with logistic regression analysis, are related to whether child maltreatment occurs in the family or not. These include the parent's low educational background, many children in the family, unemployment of a parent, low individuation of the family members, and poor stability and security within the family. The results of this study provide guidelines for detecting and preventing child maltreatment as well as for recognising its existence, although no generalizations can be made due to the small sample size and complexity of the phenomenon under study.

Understanding the relationship between neighborhood poverty and specific types of child maltreatment

In this paper we examined the relationship between neighborhood poverty and three different types of child maltreatment; neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. We explore both rates of reporting and rates of substantiated reports across low, moderate, and high poverty areas. We use 1990 Census data and Child Protective Services (CPS) data to study this relationship. We find that neighborhood poverty is positively associated with all three forms of child maltreatment, but to different degrees. Of the three types of child maltreatment, child neglect is most powerfully associated with neighborhood poverty status.