Title: The Evidence Base: Child Maltreatment Risk Factors | Child and Family Research Partnership | The University of Texas at Austin
Headings: The Evidence Base: Child Maltreatment Risk Factors
The Evidence Base: Child Maltreatment Risk Factors
CFRP Publications

Content: 24 In pregnant women, negative attributions predict later harsh parenting and maltreatment. 25 When interacting with their children, mothers at risk of child abuse demonstrate lower empathy, more over-reactivity, higher compliance expectations, and greater approval of parent-child aggression than do non-abusive mothers. 26 These reactions indicate poor mood regulation, limited ability to manage emotions, and greater frustration, all of which escalate the risk of child abuse. 27 Other risk factors for child maltreatment include child separation from parent, maternal alienation, low parental warmth, and difficult child temperament. 28 Particularly among fathers, poor parent-child relationships also predict child maltreatment and domestic violence. 29
Low income and poverty have been linked to child physical abuse and neglect. 30 One study found that incremental increases in income correlated to reductions in both child neglect and CPS involvement, especially among low-income, single mothers. 31 Another study found that the highest risks of child maltreatment were associated with indicators of deprivation, including poverty, employment, and social supports. 32,33
Parental substance abuse more than doubles the risk that a child is exposed to physical or sexual abuse. 34 Parent drug abuse has been found to increase minor acts of violence by 20% and major acts of violence by 46%.