One in every eight children will be abused or neglected by the time they turn 18 years old, and children in several minority groups have an even higher risk, according to a recent study.
Child maltreatment rates remained fairly consistent from 2004 through 2011, but the annual rates of approximately 1% greatly underestimate the cumulative prevalence of maltreatment, Christopher Wildeman, Ph.D., of Yale University, New Haven, and his associates reported online (JAMA Pediatr. 2 June 2014 [doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.410]).
"The results from this analysis – which provides cumulative rather than annual estimates – indicate that confirmed child maltreatment is common, on the scale of other major public health concerns that affect child health and well-being," they wrote.
Dr. Wildeman’s team used data from the 5,689,900 confirmed cases of child maltreatment in the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) Child File between 2004 and 2011, nearly 80% of which are cases of neglect. A confirmed case was one in which Child Protective Services obtained sufficient proof to substantiate that abuse or neglect occurred. U.S. child population estimates used in the study came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Among 670,000 reports of confirmed child maltreatment cases in 2011 (0.9% of U.S. children), 492,400 cases (73.5%) involved children without a previous report. However, the youngest children are at the greatest risk, with about a quarter of children’s first confirmed reports occurring before age 2 years.
The researchers found that 12.5% of all U.S. children, including 12% of boys and 13% of girls, will experience confirmed maltreatment by age 18. Overall, 2.1% of all children have a confirmed report by age 1 year and 5.8% by age 5 years.
Black children have the greater risk for maltreatment, with 20.9% experiencing abuse or neglect by age 18, followed by Native American (14.5%) and Hispanic (13%) children. The children least likely to experience a confirmed case of maltreatment are Asian/Pacific Islanders, who comprised 3.8% of reports. Just over one in ten white children (10.7%) will be victims in a confirmed maltreatment case.
The authors had no financial conflicts.