Decades of research inform us that child maltreatment typically occurs in the context of a relationship between a child and an adult, usually a caregiver. Maltreatment is more likely to occur if the child and the caregiver exhibit certain risk conditions. For example; if the child and caregiver are in a family and/or a community that are experiencing difficult life circumstances, and if there are insufficient protective factors to mediate the risk factors present in their lives, that family is at a greater risk or inflicting or suffering child maltreatment.
Below is a list of factors that contribute to a child’s risk for maltreatment.
Child
Risk
Factors |
Premature birth, birth anomalies, low birth weight, exposure to toxins in utero
Temperament: difficult or slow to warm up
Physical/cognitive/emotional disability, chronic or serious illness
Childhood trauma
Anti-social peer group
Age
Child aggression, behavior problems, attention deficits
|
Parental/Family
Risk
Factors |
Personality Factors
External locus of control
Poor impulse control
Depression/anxiety
Low tolerance for frustration
Feelings of insecurity
Lack of trust
Insecure attachment with own parents
Childhood history of abuse
High parental conflict, domestic violence
Family structure - single parent with lack of support, high number of children in household
Social isolation, lack of support
Parental psychopathology
Substance abuse
Separation/divorce, especially high conflict divorce
Age
High general stress level
Poor parent-child interaction, negative attitudes and attributions about child 's behavior
Inaccurate knowledge and expectations about child development
|
Social/Environmental
Risk
Factors
|
Low socioeconomic status
Stressful life events
Lack of access to medical care, health insurance, adequate child care, and social services
Parental unemployment; homelessness
Social isolation/lack of social support
Exposure to racism/discrimination
Poor schools
Exposure to environmental toxins
Dangerous/violent neighborhood
Community violence
|
*Please note that this is not an all-inclusive or exhaustive list. These factors do not imply causality and should not be interpreted as such.
|
