Executive Summary
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Using the case-level data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect System
(NCANDS) for 2002, analyses of the characteristics of male perpetrators of
maltreatment were conducted. The study utilized an 18-State data set of 192,392
perpetrators identified by the child protective services (CPS) system during
2002. The relationship of the perpetrators to the child victims, as well
as whether the perpetrator acted alone or with another person, was considered
along with demographic characteristics of both perpetrators and victims,
and circumstances of the maltreatment. Research questions and key findings
are as follows:
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Of all reported cases in the18-State data set, slightly less than one-half
of all perpetrators were male. Of these, about one-half (51%) were biological
fathers, an additional one-fifth occupied some other parental role (adoptive
fathers, stepfathers, mothers' boyfriends), and about one-quarter were in
nonparental relationships (including relatives, foster parents, day care
providers, or friends) to their victims. In comparison, among female
perpetrators, 86 percent were biological mothers.
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Male and female perpetrators were similar in terms of race. Males were slightly
older than females, with an age difference of about 5 years, and men were
substantially less likely to be in a caregiver status to the child than were
women (60% compared with 87%).
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Male perpetrators were associated more often than female perpetrators with
older victims and with female victims. This is consistent with the finding
that male perpetrators were more likely than female perpetrators to be involved
in sexual abuse.
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There are differences in the patterns of maltreatment among categories of
fathers, in that biological fathers more likely to maltreat young children,
more likely to maltreat both girls and boys, more likely to be involved in
neglect cases and less likely than other male perpetrators to be involved
in sexual abuse. These finding suggest that in comparison to other male
perpetrators, the circumstances associated with biological fathers are more
similar to biological mothers.
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Nonparent male perpetrators were much more likely than other males to be
involved in sexual abuse cases.
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Postinvestigation services were provided more often with female perpetrators
than with male perpetrators.
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Recidivism rates were highest for biological fathers, mother's boyfriends,
and nonparents, and lowest for adoptive fathers and stepfathers. The impact
of the type of maltreatment or the male perpetrator's continued access to
the child on this difference in recidivism rates is not known.
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Almost two-thirds of male perpetrators of child maltreatment were reported
as being the only perpetrator, one third acted with the child's mother and
about 6 percent acted with someone other than the mother.
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Biological fathers were less likely than other male perpetrators to act alone.
When acting in concert with the mother, biological fathers were more likely
to be involved with younger children and more likely to be involved with
neglect than other types of maltreatment.
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Biological fathers and father surrogates who acted with the mother were roughly
twice as likely to repeat their maltreatments within 12 months as those fathers
who acted alone.
The findings from this research provide insights that may help to design
improved prevention and intervention programs. If prevention and treatment
interventions for child maltreatment are targeted primarily toward women,
a large proportion of perpetrators will not benefit from these efforts.
Similarly, in-home services, in their most narrow sense, may be missing the
opportunity to involve men who maltreat children but are not living in the
home.
The findings also show that male perpetrators who are not biological fathers
were more commonly associated with physical abuse and sexual abuse, older
children, and female children. Similarly, when acting alone, biological fathers
and father surrogates were more often perpetrators of physical and sexual
abuse, but when acting with the mother were more often associated with neglect.
The relatively large proportion of stepfathers and adoptive fathers associated
with sexual abuse, as well as with older, female children, suggests the need
for prevention efforts in blended and adoptive families.
Finally, the findings and the literature suggest that because male perpetrators
have many different relationships with their victims, interventions that
strengthen the role of fathers to prevent further child maltreatment and
improve child well-being are a complex undertaking. This study identifies
clear subgroups of male perpetrators, suggesting that interventions of all
types may need to be more highly differentiated for these different groups.
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