Child and caretaker characteristics and type of child maltreatment

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between child and caretaker characteristics and type of child maltreatment based on a large data set culled from state child protective service reports. This was a quantitative, cross-sectional, secondary analysis research design of a preexisting National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), Detailed Case Data Component (DCDC) dataset. This study examined 226,655 records of substantiated or indicated child maltreatment reports from 14 states from 1999 for children between birth and 17 years of age.;Child characteristics consist of the child's gender, age, race/ethnicity, and presence and type of disability. Caretaker characteristics consist of the caretaker's presence and type of disability, caretaker's substance abuse, domestic violence, and economic resources. The six types of child maltreatment consist of physical abuse, neglect, medical neglect, sexual abuse, emotional maltreatment, and multiple types of child maltreatment. Systems theory and the ecological perspective are presented as a framework for the research question.;The data were analyzed by the use of SPSS 11.0 (Norusis, 2002) using descriptive statistics, crosstabulations, and logistic regression analysis. Results indicated key relationships between child and caretaker characteristics and type of child maltreatment. The relationships between child and caretaker characteristics and type of child maltreatment can be utilized to design new and tailor existing primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention programs, train social work students and staff on early detection and treatment of specific types of child maltreatment, and stress the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and advocacy work.