NCJ Number
157235
Journal
Child Welfare Volume: 74 Issue: 5 Dated: (September-October 1995) Pages: 941-955
Date Published
1995
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Data from National Incidence Study of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Thrownaway Children (NISMART) were used to analyze the characteristics of children experiencing attempted abductions by persons who were not members of their families.
Abstract
NISMART used a telephone survey of 10,367 randomly selected households to gather national data on the yearly incidence of various events befalling children, including nonfamily abductions. The respondents reported on the experiences of 20,505 children ages 17 years and younger. Caregivers who reported an attempted abduction, kidnapping, or assault of the child were asked a lengthier series of questions. These and a one-eighth random sample of households not reporting such incidents participated in an extended version of the survey that gathered demographic information about all household members. Results indicated that an estimated 114,600 children had encounters in 1988 in which their parents perceived a risk that the children could have been abducted. The majority of these attempts were attempted lures, in which strangers tried to get children to enter cars. By definition, all were unsuccessful. The events seemed most common in families in families experiencing levels of family stress and in which parents themselves had experienced childhood trauma and abuse. Results suggested contradictory implications that further research should resolve; although many parents report threatening incidents, it is also possible that some of the parental concerns may be exaggerated. Tables and 9 references