NCJ Number
227746
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 33 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2009 Pages: 343-352
Date Published
June 2009
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study examined the prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors for child maltreatment among opioid-dependent persons in Australia.
Abstract
Results found that the prevalence of child maltreatment was similar for opioid-dependent cases and non-opioid-dependent controls. There was a high prevalence of child maltreatment among both cases and controls: 72 percent of opioid-dependent females had experienced sexual abuse and 68 percent of opioid-dependent males had a history of neglect. Opioid-dependent cases experienced greater severity of some types of child maltreatment; sexual abuse among female cases was typically severe, chronic, and perpetrated by someone known to them. The prevalence of the risk factors for child maltreatment was high, particularly, parental conflict and poor paternal relationship. Parental conflict and the three relationship factors were significant predictors of child maltreatment except for sexual abuse, which was primarily associated with early parental separation. There were elevated rates of some types of child maltreatment among opioid-dependent cases, compared to non-opioid-dependent controls, and there were some differences between males and female cases in the types of child maltreatment. Data were collected from 967 opioid-dependent cases recruited from opioid pharmacotherapy clinics across the greater Sydney metropolitan region and 346 non-opioid-dependent controls recruited through advertisements in street press, community centers, unemployment centers, and public spaces such as train stations and shopping plazas. Tables and references