Child abuse and neglect re-report rates for young children with developmental delays

Judith L Perrigo; Lauren D Berkovits; Julie A Cederbaum; Marian E Williams; Michael S Hurlburt

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.05.029

Child abuse and neglect re-report rates for young children with developmental delays

Child Abuse Negl. 2018 Sep:83:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.05.029. Epub 2018 Jun 22.

Authors

Judith L Perrigo¹, Lauren D Berkovits², Julie A Cederbaum³, Marian E Williams⁴, Michael S Hurlburt⁵

Affiliations

¹ University of Southern California (USC), Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, Department of Children, Youth, and Families, 669 W 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. Electronic address: jlpleite@usc.edu.
² Children's Hospital Los Angeles, 4650 Sunset Blvd., MS#53, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA.
³ University of Southern California (USC), Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, Department of Children, Youth, and Families, 669 W 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. Electronic address: jcederba@usc.edu.
⁴ USC University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, 4650 Sunset Blvd., MS#53, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA.
⁵ University of Southern California (USC), Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, Department of Children, Youth, and Families, 669 W 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. Electronic address: hurlburt@usc.edu.

PMID: 29940307
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.05.029

Abstract

The study objective was to examine the likelihood and magnitude of child abuse and neglect (CAN) re-reports for young children (0-71 months) with delays in cognitive, language, and adaptive development, compared to typically developing children. The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II), a nationally representative and longitudinal survey, was used to examine CAN re-reports at two follow-up waves, 18- and 36-months post baseline assessments. Logistic regression models were employed to determine the correlation between number of developmental delays and a CAN re-report at waves 2 and 3. Results indicate that children with three or more domains of delays had odds 4.73 times higher than children without developmental delays of re-report to CPS at wave 2 but not at wave 3. In this study, children with multiple developmental delays have elevated rates of CAN re-reports when compared to typically developing children. Allocation of child welfare resources should include strategies for preventing maltreatment risk among children with developmental delays.

Keywords: Child abuse and neglect; Child welfare; Developmental delays; Maltreatment; Prevention; Re-reports.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
Child Abuse / prevention & control*
Child Abuse / psychology
Child Welfare / psychology
Child, Preschool
Cognition Disorders / etiology
Developmental Disabilities / etiology*
Female
Humans
Infant
Language Disorders / etiology
Logistic Models
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mandatory Reporting
Risk Factors