Chapter 3
Victims
Child Maltreatment 2002
Child protective services (CPS) agencies respond to the needs of children who are alleged to have been maltreated and ensure that they remain safe. The rate of children who received a disposition by CPS agencies was 43.8 per 1,000 children in the national population.1 This yields an estimate of 3,193,000 children who received investigations or assessments during 2002.
An estimated 896,000 children were found to be victims, which was approximately 28.1 percent of all children who received an investigation or assessment.2 The national rate of victimization was 12.3 per 1,000 children; the rates by individual State are illustrated in figure 3-1.
The rate of all children who received an investigation or assessment increased from 36.1 per 1,000 children in 1990 to 43.8 per 1,000 children in 2002, which is a 21.3 percent increase (figure 3-2). The rate of victimization decreased from 13.4 per 1,000 children in 1990 to 12.3 per 1,000 children in 2002, which is a 7.5 percent decrease.3
Types of Maltreatment
During 2002, 60.5 percent of victims experienced neglect (including medical neglect); 18.6 percent were physically abused; 9.9 percent were sexually abused; and 6.5 percent were emotionally or psychologically maltreated.4 In addition, 18.9 percent of victims experienced such "other" types of maltreatment as "abandonment," "threats of harm to the child," and "congenital drug addiction." States may code any maltreatment type that does not fall into one of the main categories— physical abuse, neglect, medical neglect, sexual abuse, and psychological or emotional maltreatment— as "other." The maltreatment type percentages total more than 100 percent because many children were victims of more than one type of maltreatment and were coded multiple times.
Figure 3-3 illustrates that the rates of victimization by type of maltreatment have fluctuated slightly from year to year.5 The most recent 3-year trends show that the rates of most types of maltreatment have been relatively stable.
There are distinct patterns associated with reporters of certain types of maltreatment. Almost one-half of physical abuse victims were reported to CPS by either educational personnel (22.2%) or legal and justice personnel (20.8%).6 Legal and justice personnel reported 24.5 percent of neglect victims, 24.3 percent of sexual abuse victims, and 29.1 percent of psychological maltreatment victims. Medical personnel were responsible for reporting 27.0 percent of medical neglect victims.
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Sex and Age of Victims
For 2002, 48.1 percent of child victims were boys, and 51.9 percent of the victims were girls.7 The youngest children had the highest rate of victimization. The rate of child victimization for the age group of birth to 3 years was 16.0 per 1,000 children of the same age group. The victimization rate of children in the age group of 4-7 years was 13.7 per 1,000 children in the same age group.8 Overall, the rate of victimization was inversely related to the age of the child (figure 3-4). The youngest children accounted for the largest percentage of victims. Children younger than 1-year-old accounted for 9.6 percent of victims, and children age 1-9 years accounted for approximately 6.0 percent for each single-year age.9
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Race and Ethnicity of Victims
American Indian or Alaska Native children and African-American children had the highest rates of victimization at 21.7 and 20.2 per 1,000 children of the same race or ethnicity, respectively.10 White children and Hispanic children had rates of approximately 10.7 and 9.5 per 1,000 children of the same race or ethnicity, respectively. Asian-Pacific Islander children had the lowest rate of 3.7 per 1,000 children of the same race or ethnicity.
One-half of all victims were White (54.2%); one-quarter (26.1%) were African-American; and one-tenth (11.0%) were Hispanic (figure 3-5). American Indians or Alaska Natives accounted for 1.8 percent of victims, and Asian-Pacific Islanders accounted for 0.9 percent of victims.
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Perpetrators of Maltreatment
Approximately two-fifths (40.3%) of child victims were maltreated by their mothers acting alone; another 19.1 percent were maltreated by their fathers acting alone; 18.0 percent were abused by both their mother and father.11 Victims abused by a nonparental perpetrator accounted for 13.0 percent of the total (figure 3-6).
Through the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR), the Children's Bureau established the indicator of the incidence of child abuse or neglect in foster care as:
"A State meets the national standard for this indicator if, of all children in foster care in the State during the period under review, the percentage of children who were the subject of substantiated or indicated maltreatment by a foster parent or facility staff is 0.57% or less."12
Analysis of NCANDS CFSR data indicates that States have improved in meeting this standard as the percentage of reporting States in compliance has increased from 57.14 percent for 2000, to 60.00 percent for 2001, to 60.53 percent for 2002.13
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Factors Influencing the Determination That a Child is a Victim of Maltreatment
The determination as to whether or not a child is considered a victim of maltreatment is made during a CPS investigation. A multivariate analysis was conducted to examine what factors and characteristics of children influence this determination. This analysis was possible because the Child File format incorporates child characteristics—such as maltreatment type—for both victim and nonvictim children.
The basic hypothesis explored in this analysis is that some child characteristics or circumstances place children at greater risk for being identified as victims during the investigation process. The odds ratio analyses indicate the likelihood of different groups of children to be found victims of maltreatment by the CPS agency. Highlights of the findings are listed below.
- Children who were identified as victims in the past were 42 percent more likely to be determined to be maltreated compared to children who were not victimized previously.14
- Children with allegations of multiple types of maltreatment were 100 percent more likely to be determined to be maltreated than children with allegations of physical abuse. Children with allegations of psychological maltreatment or other types of maltreatment were about 27 percent less likely to be considered victims than children with allegations of physical abuse.
- Findings of victimization are inversely related to the age of a child. Children who were younger than 4 years old were most likely to be determined to be maltreated compared to all other age groups.
- Both American Indian or Alaska Native children and Asian-Pacific Islander children were 20 percent more likely to be determined victims than White children. This result indicates that even though fewer children of American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian-Pacific Islander descent were determined to be maltreated, of those who were reported, a high percentage were determined to be maltreated.
- Children who were reported by law enforcement personnel were 100 percent more likely to be determined to be maltreated than children reported by social and mental health personnel.15
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Child Maltreatment Recurrence
For most children who experience repeat maltreatment, the efforts of the CPS system have not been successful in preventing subsequent victimization. Through the CFSR, the Children's Bureau established the standard for recurrence of maltreatment as:
"A State meets the national standard for this indicator if, of all children who were victims of substantiated or indicated child abuse and/or neglect during the first 6 months of the period under review, 6.1% or fewer children had another substantiated or indicated report within 6 months."16
Analysis of NCANDS CFSR data indicate that States have improved in meeting this standard as the percentage of reporting States in compliance has increased from 29.4 percent for 2000, to 33.3 percent for 2001, to 38.1 percent for 2002.17
Twenty-six States provided sufficient data to support an analysis of the factors that influence the likelihood of recurrence.18 In this analysis, recurrence is defined as a second substantiated or indicated maltreatment occurring within a 6-month period. The major results of the analysis are summarized below.
- In comparison to children who experienced physical abuse, children who were neglected were 46 percent more likely to experience recurrence.
- Children who received postinvestigation services were 44 percent more likely to be found to be maltreated again compared to children who did not receive services.
- Children who had been removed from their home were 21 percent more likely to experience abuse and neglect again than children who were not placed.
- The youngest children (from birth through age 3) were the most likely to experience a recurrence of maltreatment.
- Compared to White children, Asian-Pacific Islanders were 41 percent less likely to experience recurrence. African-American children were 21 percent less likely to experience recurrence than White children.
- Children reported by "other" or unknown sources, which for the most part were nonprofessionals, were 34 percent more likely to experience recurrence than children reported by social services or mental health personnel. Children reported by law enforcement personnel were 9 percent less likely to experience recurrence than children reported by social services or mental health personnel.
- Children for whom the perpetrator was a nonparent were 16 percent less likely to experience recurrence than children who were abused by their mother.
The measurement of recurrence is based on investigations and assessments by the CPS agency. The data indicate the extent to which the efforts of the CPS agency were not successful in preventing subsequent victimization. These analyses show that receiving services increases the likelihood that a child is re-reported to CPS. One hypothesis is that increased contact with mandated reporters increases the potential for re-reporting.
The logistic regression analysis results indicated that children who had one or more of the following characteristics had the greatest likelihood of recurrence: 3 years old or younger, experienced neglect, experienced multiple types of maltreatment, maltreated by their mothers acting alone, and who previously had been victims of maltreatment. Children and their families who received services, including placement, and those reported by nonprofessionals or educators were more likely to experience recurrence. These findings are consistent with those reported in analyses of recurrence for previous years.
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Supplementary Tables
The following pages contain the tables referenced in Chapter 3. Unless otherwise explained, a blank indicates that the State did not submit usable data. Specific information about State submissions can be found in Appendix D.
Chapter Three: Tables and Figures
Notes
1 See
supplementary table 3-1. back
2 See table 3-2. A child was counted each time he or she was
found to be a victim of maltreatment. back
3 See table 3-3. back
4 See table 3-4. back
5 See table 3-5. back
6 See table 3-6. back
7 See table 3-7. back
8 See table 3-8. back
9 See table 3-9. back
10 See table 3-10. back
11 See table 3-11. back
12 U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for
Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and
Families. National Standards for the Child and Family Service
Reviews. Information Memorandum, ACYF-CBIM-00-11. December 28,
2000. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration
for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and
Families. Updated National Standards for the Child and Family
Service Reviews and Guidance on Program Improvement Plans.
Information Memorandum, ACYF-CB-IM-01-07. August 16, 2001. back
13 See table 3-12. back
14 Includes
substantiated, indicated, and alternative response victim
dispositions. back
15 See table 3-13. back
16 See
footnote 12 on p. 24. back
17 See table 3-14. back
18 See table 3-15. back
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