Elevated Risk of Child Maltreatment in Families with Stepparents But Not with Adoptive Parents

• NCJ Number: 228658
• Journal: Child Maltreatment Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2009 Pages: 369-375
• Author(s): Marinus H. Van IJzendoorn; Eveline M. Euser; Peter Prinzie; Femmie Juffer; Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg
• Date Published: November 2009
• Length: 7 pages
• Grant Number(s): 452-04-306
• Sponsoring Agency: Netherlands Ministry of Justice; Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO); Leiden University
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the prevalence of child maltreatment in families with stepparents and adoptive parents.

Abstract

Results of this study indicate that family composition is associated with the prevalence of child maltreatment. Larger families, single-parent families, and families with a stepparent elevate the risk for child maltreatment, whereas in families with adoptive parents, the risk for child maltreatment is decreased. In summary, families with stepparents seem more vulnerable to child maltreatment, but the mechanisms are still unclear. The question of whether child maltreatment occurs more often in adoptive and stepfamilies than in biological families is examined. Data were collected from all 17 Dutch child protective services agencies on 13,538 cases of certified child maltreatment in 2005 and compared to a representative national sample collected in the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study. Figure, table, and references