Title: Risk and protective factors for child abuse and neglect | Child Family Community Australia
Headings: Risk and protective factors for child abuse and neglect
Risk and protective factors for child abuse and neglect
Why discuss risk and protective factors?
Definitions
The interaction of risk and protective factors
Limitations of the research
Common risk factors for child abuse and neglect
Table 1: Commonly cited risk factors for child abuse and neglect
Common protective factors for child abuse and neglect
Table 2: Protective factors for reducing the incidence of child abuse and neglect
Practice applications of skills and protective factors
Conclusion
Additional CFCA readings
References
Endnotes
Authors and Acknowledgements
Publication details

Content: For more information on child maltreatment see: What is Child Abuse and Neglect? The interaction of risk and protective factors
There are differences in risk and protective factors for physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and sexual abuse (Stith et al., 2009). For example, parental mental health problems are more likely to be associated with neglect (Cowling, 2004). Risk and protective factors also operate differently as children grow (Li, Godinet, & Arnsberger, 2011). For example, one study found that low birth weight and birth abnormality ceased to be a risk factor for maltreatment after age 1 (Putnam-Hornstein & Needell, 2011). The evidence furthermore suggests that exposure to risk factors is cumulative. That is, the more risk factors in a child's life, the greater the chance that they will experience maltreatment (Begle, Dumas, & Hanson, 2010; MacKenzie, Kotch, & Lee, 2011).