NCJ Number
74798
Date Published
1977
Length
127 pages
Annotation
The results of a project conducted in eight New York State counties to define and classify connections between child abuse and neglect and later juvenile misconduct are reported.
Abstract
One section reports preliminary findings from a search of records identifying maltreated children during the 1950's and 1970's by focusing on four background variables: sex of the maltreated child, the child's religious affiliation, the child's racial background, and the family composition present in abuse and neglect cases. Boys were more likely to be abused than girls, nonwhites were more likely to be abused than whites, and children born out of wedlock into large, lower socioeconomic status families in which one or both parents were absent were more likely to be abused than those who were not. Another section focuses on family composition and its relationship to the incidence of child maltreatment and the development behavior in abused or neglected children. Comparison of the 1950's and 1970's samples show the following family structures: (1) absent fathers, (2) large families, and (3) cohabitators present. The final section investigates the effects of case disposition patterns on later contact with juvenile corrections agencies. Tables, footnotes, and references for each of the three sections are provided. For individual sections, see NCJ 74799-74801.