Preventing child abuse and neglect : a technical package for policy, norm, and programmatic activities
Year: 2016
Type: report
Abstract: Norm, and Programmatic Activities Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect is a PriorityChild maltreatment includes all types of abuse and neglect of a child under the age of 18 by a parent, caregiver, or another person in a custodial role (e.g., clergy, coach, teacher) that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child.3 There are four common types of child maltreatment: 3• Physical abuse is the use of physical force, such as hitting, kicking, shaking, burning, or other shows of force against a child.• Sexual abuse involves inducing or coercing a child to engage in sexual acts.It includes behaviors such as fondling, penetration, and exposing a child to other sexual activities.• Emotional abuse refers to behaviors that harm a child's self-worth or emotional well-being.Examples include name calling, shaming, rejection, withholding love, and threatening.• Neglect is the failure to meet a child's basic physical and emotional needs.These needs include housing, food, clothing, education, and access to medical care.Child abuse and neglect is highly prevalent.Self-report data suggest that at least 1 in 7 children have experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the last year.4 Not all children, however, experience abuse and neglect at the same rates.Younger children are more likely to experience fatal abuse and neglect, 5 while 14-to 17-year-olds are more likely to experience non-fatal abuse and neglect.4 Race and ethnicity and family income are also factors that may affect a child's exposure.Child protective services data show high rates of victimization among African-American children.African-American children experience abuse and neglect at rates that are nearly double those for white children.These differences are generally attributed to various community and societal factors, including poverty as well as differences in reporting and investigation.5 Children living in families with a low socioeconomic status (SES) * have rates of child abuse and neglect that are five times higher than those of children living in families with a higher SES.6 Irrespective of data source, definitions, and measures, the true magnitude of child abuse and neglect is likely underestimated, and children of all ages, races, and ethnicities deserve safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments to achieve maximal health and life potential.Child abuse and neglect is associated with several risk factors.Risk for child abuse and neglect perpetration and victimization is influenced by a number of individual, family, and environmental factors, all of which interact to increase or decrease risk over time and within specific contexts.Risk factors for victimization include child age and special needs that may increase caregiver burden (e.g., developmental and intellectual disabilities, mental health issues, and chronic physical illnesses).7 Risk factors for perpetration include young parental age, single parenthood, large number of dependent children, low parental income, parental substance abuse, parental mental health issues, parental history of abuse or neglect, social isolation, family disorganization, parenting stress, intimate partner violence, poor parent-child relationships, community violence, and concentrated neighborhood disadvantage (e.g., high poverty and residential instability, high unemployment rates).7 Although risk factors provide information about who is most at risk for being a victim or a perpetrator of child abuse and neglect, they are not direct causes and cannot predict who will be a victim or a perpetrator.Factors that protect or buffer children from being abused or neglected are known as protective factors.Supportive family environments and social networks consistently emerge as protective factors; 7, 8 however, other factors such as parental employment, adequate housing, and access to health care and social services may also serve to protect against child abuse and neglect.Unfortunately, no single factor tells the entire story about how and why child abuse and neglect occurs, and the risk and protective factors differ depending on the type of child abuse and neglect being studied.For additional information on risk and protective factors for child abuse and neglect, see Merrick, Fortson, and Mercy 9 and Fortson and Mercy.10 * Defined as having a household income below $15,000 a year; parents' highest education level less than high school; or any member of the household a participant in a poverty program (e.g., TANF, food stamps, public housing, energy assistance, or subsidized school meals).6
DOI: 10.15620/cdc.38864
Language: English
Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W2615858156