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Risk Factors for Child and Adolescent Maltreatment: A Longitudinal Investigation of a Cohort of Inner-City Youth

NCJ Number
226258
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2009 Pages: 73-88
Author(s)
Joshua P. Mersky; Lawrence M. Berger; Arthur J. Reynolds; Andrea N. Gromoske
Date Published
February 2009
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study investigated associations between individual, family, and extrafamilial factors and the likelihood of subsequent childhood and adolescent maltreatment.
Abstract
Results indicated that two sociodemographic factors, maternal age at child’s birth and Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) receipt, were associated with multiple maltreatment outcomes in multivariate models. Among the school-age variables investigated, a low level of parent participation in school was the most robust predictor of maltreatment. Findings also suggest that after controlling for background differences, Child-Parent Center (CPC) preschool participation was associated with a significant reduction in maltreatment in general and in neglect specifically. This study adds to the literature on risk factors for child and adolescent maltreatment by using prospective longitudinal data to examine linkages between maltreatment and an array of antecedents taken at multiple time points. The sociodemographic factors examined were selected because they had been shown to increase risk of abuse and neglect. Data were collected from 1,411 participants in the Chicago Longitudinal Study whose maltreatment records were verified from administrative data. Tables, notes, and references