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: 11
Domestic violence exposure increases children’s risk of experiencing abuse and neglect. 12 Physical and verbal aggression in partner conflicts predicts child physical abuse. 13 Many of the same factors are correlated with both domestic violence and child maltreatment, including low socioeconomic status, poverty, and unemployment; young maternal age and low education; and maternal depression, substance abuse, and history of childhood abuse. 14,15
Social isolation and resource deprivation predict child physical abuse. 16 Mothers with poor social networks face twice the risk of maltreating their children. 17 Abusive parents generally have fewer peer relationships, limited contact with the community, and strained relationships with relatives. 18 Lack of involvement in a community, such as a religious organization, increases the risk of child maltreatment, especially when paired with domestic violence in the family. 19 Conversely, higher levels of community involvement, and more positive perceptions of the community, are associated with lower levels of psychological aggression and physical assault.