NCJ Number
240657
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2012 Pages: 275-284
Date Published
April 2012
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether the existence of intimate partner violence against pregnant Chinese women could be considered a risk factor for subsequent perpetration of child abuse and neglect.
Abstract
Study findings include the following: the most common form of physical violence perpetrated against the children was corporal punishment, with 75.1 percent of the children of respondents being subjected to corporal punishment in the preceding year and 75.4 percent subjected to it over their lifetime; neglect rates for the children of respondents was 11.3 percent for the preceding year and 11.5 percent over their lifetimes; and physical maltreatment was reported against only 4.7 percent of the children in the preceding year and 4.9 percent of the children over their lifetime. The study also found that children of women who were victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy were at greater risk for both preceding-year and lifetime child physical maltreatment. Data for the study were obtained from a longitudinal study of pregnant women in Hong Kong. The sample included 487 women, 184 of whom reported pregnancy IPV in 2005, who were contacted for follow-up telephone interviews in 2008 regarding experiences with child abuse and neglect issues. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the effect of pregnancy IPV on future rates of child abuse and neglect. The findings indicate that the existence of pregnancy IPV among Chinese women can be used to predict subsequent child abuse and neglect incidences on their newborns. Implications for intervention and prevention are discussed. Tables, figures, and references