NCJ Number
152555
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 18 Issue: 12 Dated: (December 1994) Pages: 1063-1071
Date Published
1994
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This paper reports the results of a survival analysis of patterns of revictimization of children with records of confirmed cases of maltreatment in Colorado during the 4-year period 1986- 89.
Abstract
The study examined the cases of 24,507 children in that State's Child Abuse and Neglect Registry for evidence of their revictimization. The status of the child was monitored for a maximum of 4 years, commencing with the date of first victimization in the study period. Analyses were restricted to just the first recurrence of abuse or neglect. Since observation began at different times for children, the duration of risk varied across cases. Comparisons of relative risks among study groups were performed using the Lee and Desu (1972) algorithm. Hazard rates for repeat offenses were highest immediately after the initial incident of abuse or neglect. Risk of revictimization was greater for younger children and for females, but those relationships were strongly mediated by the form of maltreatment. The rate of revictimization of physically neglected children exceeded that for other major types of maltreatment. Although abused and neglected children were most at risk immediately after their incident of abuse or neglect, they remained at greater risk of mistreatment for years thereafter. These findings suggest that caseloads heavily concentrated with physical neglect cases will produce relatively large rates of repeat offenses. By contrast, caseloads dominated by sexual and physical abuse cases should yield lower rates of revictimization of children. Worker and agency resources should be adjusted in accordance with case difficulty. 4 tables and 7 references