Child Maltreatment and Violent Delinquency: Disentangling Main Effects and Subgroup Effects

• NCJ Number: 219701
• Journal: Child Maltreatment Volume: 12 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2007 Pages: 246-258
• Author(s): Joshua P. Mersky; Arthur J. Reynolds
• Date Published: August 2007
• Length: 13 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01HD034294
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study used data from the Chicago Longitudinal Study (CLS) in order to examine the relationship between child maltreatment and the incidence and frequency of violent delinquency.

Abstract

Findings showed that maltreated children had higher rates of violent delinquency than did nonmaltreated children. These observed effects of maltreatment were evident after controlling for known correlates of maltreatment and delinquency. This strengthens inferences from the findings by limiting plausible alternative explanations for the findings. After separating violent and exclusively nonviolent offenders, maltreatment was associated with violent offenders but not nonviolent offenders. The authors advise that these findings should be interpreted with the understanding that the global neglect measures used in the study combined disparate family and environmental conditions. Future replication of this research is required, using more refined categories of neglect identified from administrative and/or self report data. In addition, most maltreated children experienced multiple forms of abuse and neglect; this may have confounded the estimate for physical abuse and neglect. Although identifying subgroup effects may contribute to the tailoring of service plans, the main-effect findings reinforce the basic need to reduce the occurrence and recurrence of maltreatment, with the positive consequence of reducing delinquency, particularly violent delinquency. The CLS is following a cohort of 1,539 low-income, minority children who attended public kindergarten programs in 1985-86. The primary sample includes 1,404 individuals for whom maltreatment and delinquency status have been verified. Outcomes measured were any violent juvenile petition, two or more violent petitions, the total number of violent petitions, any violent juvenile petition or violent adult arrest conviction, and exclusive nonviolent offending. Measured predictors were substantiated child maltreatment, substantiated neglect, and substantiated physical abuse. Several sociodemographic variables that have known associations with well-being were included in analyses as covariates. 6 tables and 56 references