Child Maltreatment Risk Inventory: Pilot Data for the Cleveland Child Abuse Potential Scale

• NCJ Number: 239753
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 27 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2012 Pages: 145-155
• Author(s): Frank Ezzo; Kevin Young
• Date Published: February 2012
• Length: 11 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article presents data on the development of a child maltreatment actuarial risk inventory, the Cleveland Child Abuse Potential Scale (C-CAPS).

Abstract

The study consisted of three groups in a juvenile court setting: child custody cases without indication of maltreatment (N=34), cases where maltreatment was indicated (N=37), and a third middle ground group of cases referred to the court's Diagnostic Clinic (N=47). This third group of cases had not elevated to court involvement with a filing of child maltreatment. Study results provide compelling support for overall classification accuracy, with 100 percent specificity and 95 percent sensitivity and an overall hit rate of 98 percent, when only the maltreatment and non-maltreatment groups were compared. Adding the third group of possible maltreatment cases dropped the overall hit rate to 71 percent. The instrument was able to correctly classify 85 percent of Non-Maltreatment cases and 76 percent of Maltreatment cases. The overall factor structure of the instrument is also reviewed. Abstract published by arrangement with Springer.