Describing the context and nature of emotional maltreatment reports in children

The circumstances leading to reports of emotional maltreatment are potentially unique from those of other abuse types. This study utilized data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), which is a federally sponsored effort requiring the submission of case-level data on all children who were subject to maltreatment investigations by state child welfare agencies. The central aims of this study were to examine case-level characteristics of sole occurrences of emotional maltreatment Child Protective Service (CPS) reports in an effort to address how caregiver and child risk correlates affect the substantiation of these allegations. A cluster analysis was performed to explore how the risk assessment factors grouped together; secondarily, the cluster groupings were examined in a logistic regression model to measure factors associated with substantiation of these abuse reports. Four unique clusters emerged, with one cluster absent any risk assessment factors entirely and another cluster solely composed of domestic violence. Caregiver risk factors with the highest odds of predicting report substantiation included caregiver substance abuse, domestic violence, and caregiver learning disabilities.     

The Impact of Housing Instability on Child Maltreatment: A Causal Investigation

More than a half million children are confirmed as victims of maltreatment by the child welfare system each year. Children from unstably housed families are over-represented in child maltreatment reports, and a growing body of evidence links housing problems to maltreatment and Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation. The present study applies two propensity score analysis approaches—greedy matching and propensity score weighting—to data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study to move toward a causal explanation of child maltreatment behaviors among mothers in low-income households. Utilizing two separate methods to correct for overt selection bias, the present study finds that housing instability leads to a small increase in maltreatment behaviors, yet this small positive net impact on child maltreatment does not fully explain the over-representation of unstably housed families in the child welfare system. Families experiencing housing problems likely have a range of needs that require earlier, targeted intervention to mitigate consequences of poverty, domestic violence, and maternal depression. Child welfare services should invest resources in housing assistance programs in-house as well as through partnerships with local public housing authorities to stabilize families, reduce housing-related strain on caregivers, and promote family preservation.     

Multiple forms of violence and other criminal activities as an indicator of severe child maltreatment

Child protection practice still appears to view child maltreatment as an event largely isolated from other family violence and criminal activities. Research undertaken by the authors suggests that children who have been subjected to the more severe forms of abuse are likely to have come from families who engage in several forms of criminal activity, inside and outside the family, which is often severe in nature. The child who has been maltreated may also become a participant in these activities. The authors recommend that these factors should be investigated in families who have maltreated a child, as the presence or absence of several forms of concurrent violence and other criminal activity may provide an important clue about the welfare of the child. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Family Processes and Adolescents’ Financial Behaviors

This article examined the contribution of family processes (parental warmth, parental financial monitoring, and parent–child interactions about money) to explain cognitive and behavioral aspects of adolescents’ financial behaviors. Data came from the 2002/2003 Child Development Supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a national sample of adolescent age 12–18 and their families (N = 1,471). Results indicated that higher levels of parent communication about child donations were positively associated with both children’s saving for future schooling and their likelihood of donating to charities. Higher levels of parental warmth were associated with saving for future schooling. Giving an allowance was negatively related to child financial anxiety. Implications for researcher and policy makers have been discussed.     

The impact of child, family, and child protective services factors on reports of child sexual abuse recurrence

This study identified selected child factors (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnicity, disabilities, prior victimization, and relationship to perpetrator of abuse), family risk factors (e.g., substance abuse, domestic violence, inadequate housing, and financial problems), and services provided by child protective services that likely increased reports of child sexual abuse recurrence by type of reporter. Survival analysis was conducted using the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System data set of 2002-2004. Child disability, being a prior victim, having a perpetrator as a caregiver, family financial problems, and receiving family supportive services increased the likelihood for reports of child sexual abuse by mandated reporters. Being Hispanic, having a disability, having a perpetrator as a caregiver, financial problems, and receiving family preservation services statistically decreased the likelihood for reports of child sexual abuse recurrence.     

Child maltreatment dynamics among immigrant and U.S. born Latino children: Findings from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW)

Latino children are the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority group in the United States, and the proportion of child maltreatment victims who are of Latino ethnicity has been growing since 2000. However, our knowledge of the characteristics, maltreatment patterns, and risk factors associated with maltreatment among immigrant and U.S. born Latino children and their families has been incomplete. The goals of this study are to establish the national prevalence of immigrant and U.S. born Latino children who come to the attention of child welfare systems in the United States; to expand our knowledge regarding the role of nativity in child maltreatment patterns among Latinos; and to determine if disparities in child maltreatment patterns and risks exist among Latino families using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being. Despite considerable risks, data indicate that immigrant Latino children are slightly underrepresented among children who present to child welfare systems when compared to the general population. Moreover, no significant differences were observed between immigrant children and U.S. born children with regard to substantiation patterns. However, significant differences emerged between the two groups in risk factors and maltreatment type, warranting further investigation.     

Risk assessment in a multicultural context: Risk and protective factors in the decision to place children in foster care

Decision-making in the child protection services is a challenging task, in particular for workers who operate in a multicultural context. Studies have found that children from immigrant groups are overrepresented in the rates of cases reported to CPSs because of the higher prevalence of some distal risk factors. However, it remains unclear whether these distal factors may also lead to child removal interventions by CPS workers. This research compared immigrant and Italian families on the factors included in the Protocol of risk and protective factors to deepen the knowledge of CPS professionals' decision-making process (Di Blasio, 2005). Social records of 175 immigrant families and 153 Italian families referred for child maltreatment to CPSs were analyzed. The results confirmed the higher prevalence of specific distal risk factors (chronic poverty, low educational level, lack of network and social integration, approval of violence, and punishments as educational practices) among immigrant families. Furthermore, the analysis identified diverse factors that appear to lead to the CPSs workers' intervention (child out-of-home placement or monitoring and parental abilities support) for immigrant and Italian families.     

Latent class analysis risk profiles: An effective method to predict a first re-report of maltreatment?

Recurrence of child maltreatment is a significant concern causing substantial individual, family and societal cost. Variable-based approaches to identifying targets for intervention may not reflect the reality that families may experience multiple co-occurring risks. An alternative approach was tested using baseline data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW) I and II to develop Latent Class Analysis models of family risk classes using variables derived from prior studies of re-reporting. The samples were collected approximately 10 years apart offering a chance to test how the approach might be impacted by demographic or policy shifts. The association between baseline classes and later re-reports was tested using both samples. A two-class model of high versus low presence of baseline risk resulted that was strongly associated with later likelihood of re-report and results were relatively stable across the two studies. Person-centered approaches may hold promise in the early identification of families that require a more comprehensive array of supports to prevent re-reports of maltreatment.     

Ethical Violations: What Can and Does Go Wrong in Child Custody Evaluations?

Child custody evaluations can have a significant impact on the adjustment and well-being of children and family members. Custody evaluators must be qualified and held to the highest professional standards. The authors of this article review custody evaluations and often witness inadequate and unprofessional evaluations. In this article, ethical mistakes seen regularly are highlighted. Many mistakes occur when cases are complex and include allegations of child maltreatment or intimate partner violence. Therefore, it is important that custody evaluators be trained in family and child psychology, attachment dynamics, psychological assessment, child abuse, and intimate partner violence. Child custody work needs to be monitored closely to ensure that mistakes can be eliminated in order to avoid unnecessary harm to children and families.     

Determinants of maltreatment substantiation in a sample of infants involved with the child welfare system

Children under one year of age are highly vulnerable to child maltreatment, which can lead to serious immediate and long-term physical and mental health consequences. Child welfare workers encounter unique challenges when assessing allegations of maltreatment involving infants. This study identifies correlates of maltreatment substantiation in a sample of 793 infants less than one year of age investigated by child welfare. It is based on data from the 2003 Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2003), a national study of reports of child maltreatment. The analysis consisted of two stages. First, bivariate analyses were conducted using unadjusted odds ratios and chi-square tests on variables known to be associated with substantiation. In the second stage, a logistic regression was performed to examine these associations in a multivariate model.Multivariate findings suggest that certain vulnerabilities present in the primary caregiver, such as substance abuse and few social supports, as well as the child's positive toxicology at birth are associated with substantiated infant maltreatment. Exposure to domestic violence, which is reported mostly by the police, and physical harm stemming from maltreatment are strongly associated with substantiation, whereas reports of physical abuse and neglect have an inverse relationship. The authors discuss these results and implications for policy and programs.     

Family caregivers’ perceptions of maltreatment of older adults with dementia: findings from the northwest of Spain

Dementia is a neurocognitive disorder that implies a risk factor of maltreatment by family caregivers. In this study, we analyzed both informal caregiver’s perceptions of maltreatment and aspects of the caregiver and caregiving behavior that may be associated with maltreatment. We conducted five focus groups (FGs) in three Spanish cities: Segovia, Soria and León. The themes that were identified were related to two levels of maltreatment: (a) relational and (b) institutional. At the relational level, we observed the justification of maltreatment of Older Adults with Dementia (OAswD) by family caregivers during the occurrence of behavioral symptoms. At the institutional level, we noted that lack of support from the government was considered a type of maltreatment. These themes suggest that policy issues related to healthcare should be considered.     

“Why Don’t You Just Tell Me How You Feel?”: A Case Study of a Young Mother in an Attachment-Based Group Intervention

This paper describes an attachment-based parenting intervention, the Circle of Security, and presents a case study of one participant’s experience as a member of it. The Circle of Security is a group intervention for parents of young children ages 1–5 that teaches parents to recognize and respond to their children’s alternating needs for attachment and exploration. The intervention content in group sessions relies to a great extent on discussions of videotaped vignettes of each parent–child dyad. Ultimately, the intervention focuses on strengthening parents’ capacities for empathic responsiveness to their children’s needs for them. In the second part of the paper, the case study illustrates one mother’s experience in a Circle of Security group designed for parents involved with the child welfare system as a result of substantiated maltreatment. Observations of this parent indicate that her capacity for empathic understanding was greatly strengthened, which appears to be related to important behavior change.     

Disentangling over-representation of parents with disabilities in the child welfare system: Exploring child maltreatment risk factors of parents with disabilities

The study explores the risk factors for child maltreatment and self-reported child maltreatment among a population-based sample of parents with disabilities. Drawing on a nationally-representative, population-based data file that oversampled people of color, income-adjusted odds ratio tests were conducted to establish population differences among parents with and without limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs). Results suggest that parents with disabilities were more likely to report many of the risk factors associated with child maltreatment than parents without disabilities, including witnessing interpersonal violence as a child; experiencing violence, neglect or a foster care stay as a child; mood or substance use disorders; and engaging in or receiving interpersonal violence as an adult. Before controlling for income, parents with disabilities had only a negligibly higher rate of engaging in violence against their children. After controlling for income, parents with disabilities were 2.5 times more likely to engage in violence against their children. Parents with disabilities who did engage in violence against their children had greater amounts of some of the child maltreatment risk factors in comparison to parents with disabilities who did not engage in violence, particularly their own childhood experiences of maltreatment, witnessing of interpersonal violence as a child, childhood stays in foster care, and experiences with interpersonal violence as an adult. Findings add to the understanding of the risk factors for child maltreatment that are related to the collateral effects of having a disability, and through the use of income-adjusted data, help disentangle why parents with disabilities are over-represented in the child welfare system. The findings highlight the need for the child welfare system to increase its disability competence in working with both children and parents with disabilities.     

The Emotional Dance of Attachment

Conceptualized as an emotional dance between the child and the primary caregiver, this article summarizes the primary principles of attachment theory as they pertain to clinical practice. The development of the attachment relationship goes smoothly in a secure attachment because the caregiver and child are effectively attuned to one another’s needs. Insecure attachment, on the other hand, occurs when the emotional dance goes awry leaving both the caregiver and the child with an emotional void. The article summarizes current treatment models geared specifically toward helping parent–child dyads resolve attachment problems.     

Substantiating neglect of first nations and non-aboriginal children

First Nations (Native American) children are greatly overrepresented in the Canadian child welfare system, and disproportionality in the substantiation of maltreatment contributes to this overrepresentation. This study explores the factors driving disproportionality in the substantiation of maltreatment and, more specifically, neglect. Data from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (2008) are used in multivariate analyses which examine the relationship between the substantiation of maltreatment/neglect and worker assessments of case, child, household, and caregiver characteristics. These case factors fully explain disproportionality in maltreatment substantiation for First Nations and non-Aboriginal children; the disproportionality reflects underlying differences in the case, child, household and caregiver characteristics identified in First Nations and non-Aboriginal investigations. However, case factors do not fully explain disproportionality in substantiation of neglect-only investigations. Further analysis indicates that the weight that workers assigned to caregiver substance abuse, housing problems, and presence of a lone caregiver when substantiating neglect also differed for First Nations and non-Aboriginal children. Discussion of these findings explores possible explanations for these differences, and links to broader discussions around definitions of neglect and the role of substantiation in child welfare decision making processes.     

Identifying Therapeutic Action in an Attachment-Centered Intervention with High Risk Families

This paper describes an attachment-based intervention for mothers known to Child Welfare Services where past and current trauma complicates family preservation and promotion of child well being. The first part of the paper describes the innovative Attachment-Centered Parent–Child Therapy service that has been delivered to high-risk families with children from 0 to 3 years of age. The intervention uses a group format that has the added benefits of enhancing social support and being highly cost effective. The intervention also integrates video filming both in terms of capturing essential features of the group intervention for review and supervision of clinical staff, and is fundamental in the observation-based empirical assessments. Quantitative data from an initial pilot study supporting the efficacy of the intervention is presented. As well, qualitative data is presented including a case study that highlights therapeutic action shown to positively impact the quality of the mother–child relationship.     

Protective factors among families with children at risk of maltreatment: Follow up to early school years

The purpose of this study is to explore both risk and protective factors of child maltreatment among at risk elementary school children. This study used data from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), following a cohort of 405 children from age 4 to age 8. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that children attending preschool irregularly (OR = 2.98; 95% CI: 1.08-8.26), families with a high level of life events (OR = 2.68; 95% CI: 1.12-6.41), and mothers with a history of childhood maltreatment (OR = 2.26; 95% CI: 1.07-4.76) were more likely to have a child maltreatment report. In contrast, mothers who were married (OR = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.06-0.64), mothers who attained 12 or more years of education (OR = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.02-0.34), and family with high level of social support (OR = 0.29; 95% CI: 0.11-0.80) were less likely to have a child maltreatment report. For mothers who had not graduated from high school, adequate social support reduced the risk of child maltreatment by a factor of two. The provision of adequate social support should be incorporated into child maltreatment prevention programs, particularly those targeting at risk families.     

Multisystemic Therapy for Child Abuse and Neglect: Do Parents Show Improvement in Parental Mental Health Problems and Parental Stress?

Multisystemic Therapy for Child Abuse and Neglect (MST-CAN) is an evidence-based program for families with children who experience maltreatment. This clinical trial is the first evaluation of MST-CAN in a German-speaking area. Parental psychological problems and parental stress have been shown to be risk factors for child abuse and neglect. By the end of treatment, parents reported significantly less psychological distress than before the start of MST-CAN. Six months after treatment, this reduction was still evident. However, parents did not report any significant reduction of parental stress at any of the three time points. MST-CAN is an effective intervention for child maltreatment that not only combats child abuse and neglect but also has the potential to alleviate parental psychological distress.     

Child neglect and adolescent violence: examining the effects of self-control and peer rejection

Child maltreatment researchers have often suggested that experiences with child neglect have long-term, negative effects. Child neglect is thought to have particularly adverse effects on self-control, peer relations, and delinquency. In this research, we examine the relationship of child neglect with adolescent violence via self-control and peer rejection. Using prospective, longitudinal data from a community sample, we find that child neglect adversely affects peer rejection and violence. Neglected children were more likely to be rejected by their peers in early adolescence and were more likely to be violent later in adolescence. Contrary to theoretical predictions, child neglect was not a significant predictor of self-control. Implications for delinquency and child maltreatment researchers are discussed.