NCJ Number
224217
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect: The International Journal Volume: 32 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2008 Pages: 752-765
Date Published
August 2008
Length
14 pages
Annotation
In cases of reported child physical abuse, this study examined the power of the characteristics of the child victim, the perpetrator, and the socioeconomic context to predict injury to the victim.
Abstract
Of the six potential predictors of injury examined--child victim’s age, perpetrator sex, child functioning, parent functioning, economic stress, and social stress--none was found to predict injury to the child. The authors note that a common measure for determining whether a child protection agency will intervene in cases of suspected child physical abuse is injury or risk of injury to the child. The fact that none of the factors examined predicted the risk of injury to the child suggests that prediction of injury to a child in an abusive situation is a difficult determination. Thus, prediction of injury as an intervention criterion may be questionable. This study examined data collected for the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS), the first national study to examine the incidence of reported child abuse and neglect in Canada. The CIS used a multistage sampling design in selecting a representative sample of 51 child welfare service areas from each Province and Territory across Canada. Child welfare workers recorded information about children and their families as they came into contact with child welfare services over a 3-month sampling period from October 1 to December 31, 1998. A final sample of 7,672 child maltreatment investigations was obtained. The dataset consisted of substantiated, suspected, and unsubstantiated child welfare investigations. The outcome variable was physical harm to the child. The predictor variables measured were the child’s age, perpetrator sex, child functioning, parent functioning, and measures of stress within the household. 5 tables and 73 references