Understanding Child Maltreatment Questions and Answers

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nonfatal Maltreatment of Infants — United States, October 2005–September 2006. MMWR 2008; 57:338-339. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5713a2.htm

1. What is child maltreatment?

Child maltreatment includes all types of abuse and neglect that occur among children under the age of 18. There are four common types of abuse.

• Physical abuse, which occurs when a child’s body is injured as a result of hitting, kicking, shaking, burning or other show of force.
• Sexual abuse, which involves engaging a child in sexual acts. It includes fondling, rape, and exposing a child to other sexual activities.
• Emotional abuse, which refers to behaviors that harm a child’s self-worth or emotional well-being. Examples include name calling, shaming, rejection, withholding love, and threatening.
• Neglect, which is the failure to meet a child’s basic needs. These needs include housing, food, clothing, education and access to medical care.

2. How common is child maltreatment?

In 2006, 6 million cases of child abuse or neglect were reported to Child Protective Services in the United States. Approximately 905,000 of these cases were confirmed. Of the confirmed cases:

• Nearly 30,000 occurred in the first week of life.
• More than 60% of children were neglected.
• About 16% were physically abused.
• Approximately 10% were sexually abused.
• About 7% were psychologically abused.

However, the true number of children who are abused or neglected is unknown. Many cases, especially those involving young children, are not recognized or reported. As a result, many abused or neglected children suffer in silence.

3. Who is at greatest risk for child maltreatment?

Children of all ages can be victims of any of these types of abuse. However, nationwide statistics indicate that 19 percent of child maltreatment fatalities occur among infants less than one year old, and among this group of infants the risk of death might be greatest in the first week of life.

4. What causes child maltreatment?

Children are never to blame for the harm others do to them. However, some factors can increase the risk of a child being abused. The presence of these factors does not always mean that abuse will occur. Additional factors can increase the risk of a child being abused include:

• Age. Children under 4 years of age are at greatest risk for severe injury and death from abuse.
• Family environment. Abuse and neglect can occur in families where there is a great deal of stress. The stress can result from a family history of violence, drug or alcohol abuse, poverty, and chronic health problems. Families that do not have nearby friends, relatives, and other social support are also at risk.
• Community. On-going violence in the community may create an environment where child abuse is accepted.

5. Why is child maltreatment a health problem?

Abused or neglected children often suffer physical injuries including cuts, bruises, burns and broken bones. As a result, children who are abused or neglected are at higher risk for health problems as adults. These problems include alcoholism, depression, drug abuse, eating disorders, obesity, sexual promiscuity, smoking, suicide, and certain chronic diseases.

As the number of these negative adverse experiences grows, so does the number of negative health outcomes. Therefore, identifying, understanding and preventing these problems early is an essential part of helping children grow healthy and strong.

6. How can I prevent child maltreatment?

The ultimate goal is to stop child maltreatment before it starts. Strategies that support parents and teach positive parenting skills are very important. Positive parenting skills include good communication, appropriate discipline, and responding to children’s physical and emotional needs. Programs to prevent child maltreatment also improve parent-child relationships and provide parents with social support.

7. What is CDC doing to prevent child maltreatment?

Young children experience their world through their relationships with parents and other caregivers. Safe, stable, and nurturing relationships (SSNRs) between children and adults are a buffer, reducing risk for maltreatment and other adverse exposures occurring during childhood that compromise health over the lifespan. CDC is working with a variety partners to support a range of research, early intervention, and prevention programs at the national, state, and local levels that encourage SSNRs. These include:

• Defining the Problem - Child Maltreatment Surveillance: Uniform Definitions for Public Health and Recommended Data Elements presents a definition of child maltreatment, its associated terms, and recommended data elements for voluntary use by individuals and organizations in the public health community. The definitions and data elements are intended to promote and improve consistency of child maltreatment surveillance for public health practices.
• Supporting Home Visitation Programs- This type of program involves trained personnel visiting families in their homes to deliver training, education, and support. The trained personnel can be nurses, social workers, paraprofessionals, or peers. Home visits often begin before birth and continue past a child’s second birthday. These programs include training on prenatal and infant care as well as child development. They also enhance problem solving skills, assist with educational and work opportunities, and provide referrals to community services. A systematic review conducted by the non-federal Task Force on Community Preventive Services found that early childhood home visitation results in a 40% reduction in episodes of abuse and neglect.
• Reviewing Parenting Programs -CDC is reviewing the literature on the scope and efficacy of programs for parents with children from birth to seven years old. The parenting programs focus on providing parenting skills to enhance child well-being and adjustment.
• Ensuring Safe Environments - Organizations that work with children and youth must strive to create safe environments for youth, employees, and volunteers so that young people can grow, learn, and have fun. It is vital that youth-serving organizations create a culture where child sexual abuse is discussed, addressed, and prevented. CDC has developed Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Within Youth-serving Organizations: Getting Started on Policies and Procedures to assist youth-serving organizations as they begin to adopt prevention strategies for child sexual abuse. The guide identifies six key components of child sexual abuse prevention for organizations: screening and selecting employees and volunteers; guidelines on interactions between individuals; monitoring behavior; ensuring safe environments; responding to inappropriate behavior, breaches in policy, and allegations and suspicions of child sexual abuse; and training in child sexual abuse prevention.

8. What can I do if I suspect a child is being maltreated?

   To report child neglect or abuse call The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD. The line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and all calls are anonymous.

   For more information please visit www.cdc.gov/injury

Content Source: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention
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