Published online March 1, 2005
PEDIATRICS Vol. 115 No. 3 March 2005, pp. e331-e337 (doi:10.1542/peds.2004-1033)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Theodore, A. D.
Right arrow Articles by Agans, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Theodore, A. D.
Right arrow Articles by Agans, R.
Related Collections
Right arrow Office Practice

ELECTRONIC ARTICLE

Epidemiologic Features of the Physical and Sexual Maltreatment of Children in the Carolinas

Adrea D. Theodore, MD, MPH*, Jen Jen Chang, MPH{ddagger}, Desmond K. Runyan, MD, DrPH*,§,||, Wanda M. Hunter, MPH§,||, Shrikant I. Bangdiwala, PhD||,¶ and Robert Agans, PhD

* Department of Pediatrics
{ddagger} Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health
§ Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine
|| Injury Prevention Research Center
Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Context. Child maltreatment remains a significant public health and social problem in the United States. Incidence data rely on substantiated reports of maltreatment known to official social service agencies.

Objective. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiologic features of child physical and sexual abuse, on the basis of maternal self-reports.

Design, Setting, and Participants. Computer-assisted, anonymous, cross-sectional, telephone surveys (N = 1435) were conducted with mothers of children 0 to 17 years of age in North and South Carolina. Mothers were asked about potentially abusive behaviors used by either themselves or their husbands or partners in the context of other disciplinary practices. They were also asked about their knowledge of any sexual victimization their children might have experienced.

Main Outcome Measures. The incidence of physical and sexual maltreatment determined through maternal reports.

Results. Use of harsh physical discipline, equivalent to physical abuse, occurred with an incidence of 4.3%. Shaking of very young children as a means of discipline occurred among 2.6% of children <2 years of age. Mothers reported more frequent physical discipline of their children, including shaking, for themselves than for fathers or father figures. Nearly 11 of 1000 children were reported by their mothers as having been sexually victimized within the past year. The incidence of physical abuse determined with maternal self-reports was 40 times greater than that of official child physical abuse reports, and the sexual abuse incidence was 15 times greater. For every 1 child who sustains a serious injury as a result of shaking, an estimated 150 children may be shaken and go undetected. There was no statistically significant difference in the overall rates of physical or sexual maltreatment between the 2 states.

Conclusions. Official statistics underestimate the burden of child maltreatment. Supplemental data obtained with alternative strategies can assist policymakers and planners in addressing needs and services within communities and states. These data support the need for continued interventions to prevent maltreatment.

Key Words: child maltreatment • child abuse • incidence • risk factors

Abbreviations: NCANDS, National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System

Accepted Oct 4, 2004.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 BRIEF TREAT CRISIS INTERVENHome page
A. J. Zolotor, A. D. Theodore, T. Coyne-Beasley, and D. K. Runyan
Intimate Partner Violence and Child Maltreatment: Overlapping Risk
Brief. Treat. Crisis Interven., November 1, 2007; 7(4): 305 - 321.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Child MaltreatHome page
A. Theodore, D. Runyan, and J. J. Chang
Measuring the Risk of Physical Neglect in a Population-Based Sample
Child Maltreat, February 1, 2007; 12(1): 96 - 105.
[Abstract] [PDF]